DETROIT, March 31 (Reuters) - Membership in the United Auto Workers union rose by more than 12,000 people to 403,466 in 2014, the fifth consecutive year of small gains for the American union, according to an annual filing with the U.S. Department of Labor.
News of the 3 percent increase in UAW membership comes in a year when the union will begin talks for new labor contracts with General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles . Those talks are due to begin this summer and the current contracts are due to expire in mid-September.
Since hitting a low of 355,191 in 2009, UAW membership has risen 13.6 percent.
The UAW also disclosed that its net assets slipped 1.1 percent last year to $971.5 million, according to the filing. (Reporting by Bernie Woodall and Ben Klayman in Detroit)