The number of U.S. workers who belong...

The number of U.S. workers who belong to labor unions rose slightly in 1988 to 17 million but the percentage of the work force that is unionized dropped slightly because of rapid employment growth, according to a labor department report. Union members continued last year to earn more than non-union workers. Full-time workers who were union members had median weekly earnings of $480 compared to $356 for those who were not union members, the department reported. The department said 16.8% of the 101 million wage and salary employees in the United States last year were union members, down from 17% in 1987.