Why IAEP

What The Government Says About Joining A Union

Workers' Pay Is Higher When They're In A Union

The median weekly earnings of union workers are 28 percent higher than non-union workers.
According to a January 2011 Bureau of Labor Statistics report, workers who belong to a union typically earn higher pay than non-union workers doing the same kind of job. Although it varies based on sector and occupation, the overall averages are striking.

$917 = Median weekly earnings in 2010 of union members.

$717 = Median weekly earnings in 2010 of non-union workers.

That's a yearly difference in salary of $10,400 for union members vs. non-union members.

Union members earn an average of $4.95 more per hour - which equates to a yearly difference of $10,300.
Although it varies based on sector and occupation, the union difference for workers across the board is undeniable.

For workers employed in the public sector:
        The difference in salary amounts to roughly $165 more a week--approximately $650 more a month--for union vs. non-union.

For workers employed in the private sector:
·        The salary difference for union vs. non-union amounts to roughly $155 more a week--approximately $615 more a month.

Union workers in many healthcare fields also earn higher salaries than their non-union counterparts:
·        Registered Nurses (16% higher); Nursing Aides (22% higher)
·        Diagnostic Technicians (31% higher)
        Other healthcare support occupations - 33%

Greater Access to Healthcare Coverage; Lower Cost
In 2009, 92 percent of union employees in the U.S. had access to health care benefits, compared to only 68 percent of non-union workers.

The union advantage is even greater when you compare the percentages of union vs. non-union workers receiving specific benefits:
·        Dental Care: Union, 70% | Non-union: 44%
·        Vision care: Union, 53% | Non-union: 24%
·        Prescription drug benefits: Union, 90% | Non-union, 68%

Union workers nationwide are 28.2 percent more likely to be covered by employer-provided health insurance.


Union workers also pay less out of pocket for their insurance than non-unionized workers do.
·        Union workers, on average, pay 11 percent of premiums for individual coverage and 18 percent of premiums for family coverage.
·        Companies with 30 percent or more unionized workers are five times as likely to have their entire family health insurance premium paid for, in comparison to companies with no unionized workers.


Non-union workers pay much more for their insurance:
·        20 percent for individual coverage and 33 percent for family coverage.


Paid Leave
·        Union workers get 28 percent more days of paid vacation, on average, than non-union workers.
·        82 percent of union workers have paid sick leave, compared to 63 percent of nonunion workers.
·        46 percent of unionized workers receive full pay while on sick leave, versus only 29 percent of non-union workers.


A More Secure Retirement
·        Nationally, 77 percent of union employees in 2009 were covered by pension plans that provide a guaranteed monthly retirement income. Only 20 percent of non-union workers are covered by guaranteed (defined-benefit) pensions 20%.
·        Union workers are 53.9 percent more likely to have employer-provided pensions.