Cryer cited in BDN analysis of waning union membership in Maine
Marc Cryer, director of the Bureau of Labor Education at the University of Maine, was cited in the Bangor Daily News report, “How waning union membership in Maine may affect what’s in your paycheck.” The number of union workers around the nation has shrunk with the decades-long decline in manufacturing jobs, according to the article. As the union presence continues to wane, some studies show it could be fueling the nation’s widening income gap, the article states. In Maine, union representation — including the public and private sectors — has mirrored the national decline, falling from 14 percent of the state’s workforce in 2000 to 12 percent last year, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Cryer said the loss of manufacturing jobs has been a strong factor fueling the decline in union membership.