Private sector unions add members

WASHINGTON — Union membership grew slightly last year, giving union leaders hope that a period of steep declines has finally bottomed out.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the number of unionized workers grew by about 50,000 in 2011 to nearly 14.8 million members. That’s after unions lost nearly 1.4 million members over the previous two years.

Still, the overall share of the unionized workforce fell, from 11.9 percent to 11.8 percent, as state and local governments trimmed thousands of jobs. That’s the lowest rate since the Great Depression in the 1930s.

While unions saw losses in the public sector, those were offset by gains in the private sector in construction and health care.