Union members in Pennsylvania and across the country earn significantly more than non- union workers. "Over the four-year period between 2004 and 2007, unionized workers' wages in Pennsylvania were on average 9.4 percent higher than non-union workers with similar characteristics. That means that, all else equal, Pennsylvania workers that join a union will earn 9.4 percent more--or $1.77 more per hour in 2008 dollars--than their otherwise identical non-union counterparts." [Unions are Good for Pennsylvania's Economy, 2/18/09]
Unionization rewards workers for productivity growth. "Slow wage growth has squeezed the middle class and contributed to rising inequality. But increasing union coverage rates could likely reverse these trends as more Americans would benefit from the union wage premium and receive higher wages. If unionization rates were the same now as they were in 1983 and the current union wage premium remained constant, new union workers in Pennsylvania would earn an estimated $2.5 billion more in wages and salaries per year. If union coverage rates increased by just 5 percentage points over current levels, Pennsylvania's newly unionized workers would earn an estimated $852 million more in wages and salaries per year. Non-union workers would also benefit as employers would likely raise wages to match what unions would win in order to avoid unionization." [Unions are Good for Pennsylvania's Economy, 2/18/09]
Employee Free Choice Would Pump Money Into Rural Economies. The League of Rural Voters writes, "Declining worker incomes have meant declining incomes for farmers and ranchers who produce food, fiber and biofuels. And that means less money has been coming into the rural economy. A big reason for shrinking worker paychecks is that big business has made it nearly impossible to join unions and bargain for solid benefits and fair wages (15 - 25 percent higher than non-union jobs). In fact, thousands of people are illegally fired every year just because they tried to organize a union. The Employee Free Choice Act can help level the playing field by making it easier for people to join unions and bargain for a better standard of living. It can give regular working folks the purchasing power to revive the economy - and to buy the products we grow and sell in rural America." [League of Rural Voters, accessed 5/19/09]
Higher Wages & Benefits Help U.S. Economy by Giving Workers the Ability to Purchase More Goods & Services: According to the Center for American Progress Action Fund report, unionization is good for the economy overall and "putting more money in workers' pockets would provide a needed boost for the U.S. economy." Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich stated that higher wages and higher benefits would give workers the purchasing power they need to buy more of the goods and services that this economy produces. [CAP Report: Unions are Good for the American Economy, 2/18/09]
Unionization rewards workers for productivity growth. "Slow wage growth has squeezed the middle class and contributed to rising inequality. But increasing union coverage rates could likely reverse these trends as more Americans would benefit from the union wage premium and receive higher wages. If unionization rates were the same now as they were in 1983 and the current union wage premium remained constant, new union workers in Pennsylvania would earn an estimated $2.5 billion more in wages and salaries per year. If union coverage rates increased by just 5 percentage points over current levels, Pennsylvania's newly unionized workers would earn an estimated $852 million more in wages and salaries per year. Non-union workers would also benefit as employers would likely raise wages to match what unions would win in order to avoid unionization." [Unions are Good for Pennsylvania's Economy, 2/18/09]
Employee Free Choice Would Pump Money Into Rural Economies. The League of Rural Voters writes, "Declining worker incomes have meant declining incomes for farmers and ranchers who produce food, fiber and biofuels. And that means less money has been coming into the rural economy. A big reason for shrinking worker paychecks is that big business has made it nearly impossible to join unions and bargain for solid benefits and fair wages (15 - 25 percent higher than non-union jobs). In fact, thousands of people are illegally fired every year just because they tried to organize a union. The Employee Free Choice Act can help level the playing field by making it easier for people to join unions and bargain for a better standard of living. It can give regular working folks the purchasing power to revive the economy - and to buy the products we grow and sell in rural America." [League of Rural Voters, accessed 5/19/09]
Higher Wages & Benefits Help U.S. Economy by Giving Workers the Ability to Purchase More Goods & Services: According to the Center for American Progress Action Fund report, unionization is good for the economy overall and "putting more money in workers' pockets would provide a needed boost for the U.S. economy." Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich stated that higher wages and higher benefits would give workers the purchasing power they need to buy more of the goods and services that this economy produces. [CAP Report: Unions are Good for the American Economy, 2/18/09]
