Why do union workers make more money? (2023)

Do you make more money in a union?

Better Pay and Benefits

On average, union workers' wages are 11.2% higher than their nonunion counterparts. Ninety-six percent of union workers have employer-provided health insurance, but only 69% of nonunion workers do. Unions help bring more working people into the middle class.

Union members earn better wages and benefits than workers who aren't union members. On average, union workers' wages are 28 percent higher than their nonunion counterparts. Labor unions give workers the power to negotiate for more favorable working conditions and other benefits through collective bargaining.

Through their union, employees have the ability to negotiate from a position of strength with employers over wages, benefits, workplace health and safety, job training and other work-related issues. Unions also serve an important role making sure that management acts fairly and treats its employees with respect.

But our research finds that union members do earn higher wages per hour than non-union members. This is because union members have more experience with their current employer, in their occupation and in the labour market generally, than non-union members.

Unions use their monopoly position the same way corporations do. They raise their prices and pay their employees more. Because workers in non–right-to-work states cannot opt out, unions have little incentive to hold down either dues or labor costs.

New York, NY pays construction workers the most with an average salary of $47,620 per year.

Unions represent the interests of workers and can help push for better pay and benefits. Businesses often oppose unions because they can interfere with their autonomy or affect them economically.

Why would employees not want to join a union?

Union jobs are less secure than those that are union-free

Contrary to the sales pitches of union organizers, union jobs are not as secure as those in the union-free sector. In a competitive global economy, unions inhibit nimble decision-making and slow down an employer's ability to adapt to changes in the industry.

Union workers are more likely to have access to paid sick days and health insurance on the job than nonunion workers. Union workers are also more likely to be able to stay home when they are sick because they are more likely to have access to paid sick leave.

If there's a strong trade union in your workplace, you're more likely to have a better work/life balance. And women are far less likely to face problems at work while pregnant, on maternity leave or when they return to work. Every year unions train 10,000 workers in safety and health.

Why are dues worth it? Dues are an investment in your future. Early 2020 reports cited an average 3.8% salary increase in first contracts (which more than covers dues); over a lifetime union members earn 20% more than their non-unionized counterparts.

A basic principal of unionism is "equal pay for equal work." This means that people doing the same or comparable job should receive the same hourly or salaried pay. There are some exceptions to this general rule, because often times some benefits and some portion of wages are tied into seniority.

1. Elevator installers and repairers ($88,540) With a median salary of $88,000, elevator installers and repairers top our list of highest paying construction jobs.

Elevator installation and repair workers earn the highest pay in the construction and extraction occupations by over $20,000 a year. In addition to elevators, they install and repair escalators, moving walkways and other lifts for people and products.

1. National Education Association of the United States (NEA)

About 10% of workers belonged to a union in 2019

The AFL-CIO is the largest union federation in the U.S., made up of 55 national and international unions with 12.5 million members worldwide. Its member unions span from the Actors Equity Association to the Utility Workers Union of America.

Oldest U.S. union's 150th anniversary approaching - International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Why do companies fear unions?

Large firms often oppose unions due to their impact on the company's autonomy and fears of economic losses as workers fight for higher wages and better benefits.

Employees who are members of a union and so are protected by a collective bargaining agreement generally may only be terminated for cause.

Labor unions charge dues to pay the salaries of union leaders and workers during a strike. And unfortunately, some unions spend union dues on six-figure salaries for leaders and luxurious headquarters. Other drawbacks of labor union membership include less autonomy, workplace tension, and slower advancement.

Unions are good for all workers. They improve wages, benefits, and working conditions, and helped create the middle class. Unions raise wages for all workers. Unions paved the way to the middle class for millions of workers and pioneered benefits along the way, including paid health care and pensions.

Walmart is the largest private employer in the United States. Not one of its 1.4 million employees belongs to a union.

(See table 2.) Among states, Hawaii and New York continued to have the highest union membership rates (22.4 percent and 22.2 percent, respectively), while South Carolina and North Carolina continued to have the lowest (1.7 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively).

As of Wednesday, 209 Starbucks stores have officially voted to unionize according to the National Labor Relations Board. First-ever unions have also formed at an Apple store in Maryland, a Google Fiber contractor, REI, Trader Joe's, Kickstarter and Activision Blizzard.

If there's a strong trade union in your workplace, you're more likely to have a better work/life balance. And women are far less likely to face problems at work while pregnant, on maternity leave or when they return to work. Every year unions train 10,000 workers in safety and health.

Labor unions charge dues to pay the salaries of union leaders and workers during a strike. And unfortunately, some unions spend union dues on six-figure salaries for leaders and luxurious headquarters. Other drawbacks of labor union membership include less autonomy, workplace tension, and slower advancement.

Unions represent the interests of workers and can help push for better pay and benefits. Businesses often oppose unions because they can interfere with their autonomy or affect them economically.

Is it hard to get fired from a union job?

In a unionized environment, firing a union employee is rare, unless their conduct is egregious. Steps of progressive disciplinary action include oral notice of concerns, written warning, letter of expectation, mandatory corrective action plan and formal letters of reprimand prior to the actual termination.