I'd like to check you knowledge in this area:
What is the percentage of manufacturing workers in the USA are in a union?
Total Labor Union membership in private sector runs about 12%, so my guess is that manufacturing is way way low, perhaps around the 3%-5% — in specific hands on product manufacturing.
No need to guess though, the definitive is:
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm
If the point you’re trying to make is it’s too little to be concerned about then you’re not understanding the numbers here. 10% of a ginormous number is still a huge number. Project that back to the 70’s when it was more like 20%, then take into account parasitic and cannibalistic nature of funding, deficit spending, inflation , huge yearly trade deficits and taxation on interest and dividends and finally the burgeoning bureaucracy and the ever increasing tooth to tail ratio.