UAW Says Membership Rose 30,072 to 654,657 in 2004

DETROIT (AP) - The United Auto Workers says its membership rose 30,072 in 2004, reversing a long decline that saw the union shrink from 1.5 million in the late 1970s to 624,585 in 2003.
The growth came in such areas as health care, government, auto parts and education as employment at the Big Three U.S. automakers and their largest suppliers shrank, the union said in its annual report filed with the U.S. Department of Labor.
The UAW ended 2004 with membership up 4.8 percent to 654,657, the union said.