AP U.S. Government and Politics

What percent of US workers are union members?

1. How accurate was your prediction?

2. What is the big trend you see in this chart?

3. Identify one cause of this trend:

4. Describe one consequence of this trend:

5. If this trend continues, predict what percent of the U.S. workforce will be unionized by 2030:

6. Explain whether this is good or bad news.

7. What about this data surprised you the least?

8. The word, Union, rhymes with and is only one letter different from Onion. What is a word that rhymes with or is close to United States?

9. Each week, how much more do union workers make than non-union workers?

10. Why do you think that is?

11. If you were a worker and knew that you could make about 25% more per week by joining a union, would you join?

12. What does this data have to do with politics?

13. If you were a politician and wanted to decrease union membership, what is one thing you could do about it?

14. How do you think U.S. union membership rates compare to other industrialized nations?*

15. Do you know anyone who is a member of a union?

16. American wealth inequality is at an historically high level. Explain how falling union membership and rising income inequality are connected.*

17. What would a typical American liberal, conservative, and Libertarian say about this chart?

Visual Learning Extension*

Learning Extension

Check out these great interactive charts about American economics.

Action Extension

Contact a local union spokesperson or dig through a pro-union website to research some of the benefits of unions. Contact a local anti-union politician or dig around an anti-union website to learn some problems with unions. Weigh the pros and cons and then draw your own conclusions about the value of unions. Share your research and opinion in class or online.

T-Rex Extension (Rextension)