United Auto Workers membership fell last year to a post-World War II low, amid heavy losses in the auto sector. The number of UAW members in 2009 dropped nearly 76,000, to 355,191, according to the union's annual report filed Monday with the U.S. Department of Labor.
The 18 percent loss reflects decisions by General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC last year to shed thousands of workers as both automakers underwent bankruptcy reorganization.
With last year's slide, membership in the Detroit-based union has tumbled by nearly half since 2001, when it had 701,818 members.
Analysts don't agree on what the future holds for membership in the UAW, which had 1.53 million members at its peak in 1979.
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