Answer to Question 1
An ideal response will:
1. Provide information on the proportion of the U.S. workforce belonging to unions (13).
2. Include information on why union membership has fallen in the United States, including the shift from an industrial to a service and information economy.
3. Include information on sectors where unions have expanded, such as health care, the public sector, and the service sector.
Answer to Question 2
An ideal response will:
1. Differentiate between open and closed shop rules. Under open shop rules, workers cannot be required to join a union as a condition of employment. Under closed shop rules, workers can be required to join a union as a condition of employment.
2. Explain that in open shop states, workers can choose not to affiliate with a union because they can secure the same benefits that unionized workers enjoy without having to pay union dues.
3. Note that as a consequence of open shop rules, unions in open shop states may be smaller and less powerful.
Diversity in the United States
The United States under the Articles of Confederation, 1787
This photograph of a Union soldier just freed from Andersonville prison, stunned and enraged norther
The Last Century Trends
Lightning Casualties in the United States by Location or Activity
Overallocation of Labor to Sector 1