Unions Mean Extra Pay Boost for Lowest Incomes

Workers at all income levels enjoy better pay if they're represented by a union, but for low-wage workers being a union member means an even bigger boost in their earning power, according to a new study from the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

Nationwide, CEPR said the typical union-represented worker earns 13.7 percent more than non-unionized workers. But for those in the bottom tenth of the wage scale, unions mean an extra 20.6 percent on average, or $1.57 an hour.

"Unions give the biggest boost to low-wage workers because these are the workers that have the least bargaining power in the labor market," said John Schmitt, a CEPR senior economist and author of the study. "Unionization has a large and measurable impact on the bargaining power, and therefore the wages, of low-wage workers."

The study, "The Union Advantage for Low-Wage Workers" is available online at www.cepr.net.