The benefits of Unions (not just a cost to business)...
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The Union Difference
Who benefits from having a union in the work place? The answer is just about everyone.
According to studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor and compiled by the AFL-CIO, unionized workers enjoy higher wages, better benefits and pensions and have greater job security than workers who don’t have a union. In almost every industry union workers fare better than non-union workers performing the same type of jobs.
Higher Wages for Union Members
The difference can be startling. The average union worker made 34 percent more in wages than did the average non-union worker in 1997.
In the service industry, where non-union workers made $283 a week on average, union workers earned an average weekly salary of nearly $400. For machine operators there was a 50 percent difference in wages between union and non-union workers. Across the board union workers out pace non-union workers by sizable margins.
Unions Raise Wages for Women and Minorities
For women and minority workers the difference is especially important. Union membership helps narrow the income gap routinely suffered by minorities and women. Union women earn 38 percent more than non-union women, African-American union members earn 42 percent more than those without unions and Latino union members earn 52 percent more than their non-union counterparts. There is no better way to bring greater equality in employment conditions than to have union representation.
Part-Time Jobs, Full Time Representation
Another segment of the working population that benefits from unionization is the rapidly growing part-time workforce. Part-timers need the security and respect accorded to union members. Management often treats part-time workers as disposable and non-essential. Why give someone a promotion or a raise if you can just fire them, or even better, prod them into quitting, after half a year? The union assures part-timers that they will have a voice against any unfairness in the workplace.
Union Workers HaveBetter Benefits
A 1995 U.S. Department of Labor report shows that 85 percent of unionized workers are provided with health care, while only 74 percent of non-union workers. Union workers were also more likely to have pension plans and much more likely (73 to 47 percent) short-term disability benefits. It’s not just the salary that counts, and unions make sure that their members are protected.
Right to Work...For Less
So called right to work states, where laws drafted by big business friendly politicians have weakened union strength, are home to a workforce that receives, on average, 18 percent lower pay. In these states, mostly in the south, the union density, or percentage of workers who belong to unions, is much lower. Lower, also, is their pay. The median income for free states, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is $29,100. In the right-to-work-for-less states, that salary dropped to $24,600. This is a result of legislation that was deceptively titled and pitched as a benefit for workers, much like the “Worker paycheck protection” bills currently being drafted in several states, which cripple unions’ ability to involve themselves in politics.
Unions Provide Greater Job Stability and Production
Despite the efforts of some companies to keep the workplace union-free, they also reap the rewards of an organized workforce. A lower turnover rate and increased workforce stability results in much higher productivity in a unionized workplace. It seems that when workers have a voice and are treated with respect, they are also inclined to put more of themselves into their job.
Unionized construction firms have reported up to a 38 percent higher productivity rate than their non-union counterparts. Studies have shown a similar discrepancy in the furniture, manufacturing, hospital and cement plant industries. |
