The Union Difference  

Unions Raise Wages - Espectially for Minorities and Women

Union membership helps raise workers' pay and narrow the income gap that disadvantages minorities and women. Union workers earn 26 percent more than nonunion workers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Their median weekly earnings for full-time wage and salary work were $740 in 2002, compared with $587 for their nonunion counterparts.

The union wage benefit is even greater for minorities and women. Union women earn 31 percent more than nonunion women, African American union members earn 29 percent more than their nonunion counterparts and for Latino workers, the union advantage totals 53 percent.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employee Benefits inPrivate Industry, 1999. USDL: 01-473. Dec. 19, 2001. Prepared by the AFL-CIO.