Wages
Union workers earn more
Union workers earn about 13.5% more on average than non-union workers in similar jobs, per the Economic Policy Institute — a gap that compounds over a career.
Unions 101
What a union actually does
A quick guide to the parts of unionization that matter most for your decision.
A note worth knowing: the National Labor Relations Board has held that employers may legally make misleading statements during organizing campaigns, ruling it will “no longer probe into the truth or falsity” of employer campaign claims (Midland National Life Insurance Co., 263 NLRB 127 (1982)). That is one reason an independent source of facts is useful.
The basics
Benefits
Better benefits, better care
96% of union workers have access to health-care benefits versus 69% of non-union workers, and 58% have a pension versus 7%, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Job security
Protections you can count on
Union contracts require employers to show just cause before discipline or termination. Without a union, most employees can be let go for any reason or no reason at all.
Safety
Safer workplaces
Union workers can refuse unsafe work and report hazards without fear of retaliation. Research links weaker unions to higher rates of workplace injury and death.
Equity
Closing the pay gap
Unions narrow racial and gender pay gaps. Per EPI, Black union workers earn 12.6% more, and Hispanic union workers 16.4% more, than their non-union counterparts.
Bargaining
A contract, not a promise
A union contract is legally binding. Your employer must negotiate wages, hours, and conditions with your elected representatives — not simply announce them.