UAW sees membership gains after years of decline

WKAR Public Media

Published April 1, 2011 at 9:11 AM EDT

By AP

Detroit, MI – The United Auto Workers union is gaining members again after years of declines.

In a filing with the U.S. Department of Labor, the union said Thursday that it had 376,612 members in 2010, up six percent from 355,191 in 2009. That's the first time since 2004 that the union has gained members.

UAW President Bob King said the growth was due to more hiring in the auto industry as it recovered from the recession. The union also has had some success organizing workers outside the auto industry, such as graduate students and casino dealers.

But the union's membership still remains far below its peak of 1.5 million in 1979.

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