A new Congressional report found that unionized workers receive higher pay, better benefits and more flexibility in their work schedules compared to workers who are not in a union.
The report, which analyzed the economic benefits of unions for workers and families, was released Friday by the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC) and the House Committee on Education and Labor.
In 2021, workers represented by labor unions earned 10.2% more than their non-union peers, with unionization having increased wages by 17.3% for Black workers and 23% for Latino workers.
Not only does unionization bring higher wages but the report concluded that unionized workers are more likely to have health insurance and their employers pick up more of the costs.
In recent years, union membership has declined in the United States. According to a January report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the union membership rate fell by nearly 241,000 people to 10.3% in 2021, returning to 2019 levels.
Despite this, the report emphasizes the recent revival of the U.S. labor movement, thanks in part to a string of high-profile unionization drives at Amazon, Starbucks and others and notable strikes from workers at companies like John Deere and Kellogg’s.
“New union organizing reflects a growing awareness of the economic benefits that unions have to offer all workers,” cites the report. “Unions’ popularity reached a level not seen in 50 years, totaling 951 unionization elections held in 2021, 70% of which were successful.”
“While the share of unionized employees continues to fall, it is declining at a slower rate than in the past,” it added.
President Joe Biden, a staunch supporter of the labor movement throughout his career, has repeatedly said he “intends to be the most pro-union president leading the most pro-union administration in American history.” The president has promoted union efforts across the country throughout his first two years in office, including unionization attempts at Amazon warehouses in New York’s Staten Island and Alabama.
The report itself states that the actions by Congress and the Biden administration, such as the enactment of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, will help “protect the right to organize and increase the number of union jobs.”
“Unions are the foundation of America’s middle class,” said Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., Chair of the Joint Economic Committee. “By boosting wages industry-wide, narrowing the gender and racial wage gaps and improving job quality, unions generate benefits that are economy-wide.”
“The need to protect workers’ right to organize is greater than ever,” said Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. “While wealthy individuals and the largest corporations continue to boost their profits, workers across the country have been forced to work in unsafe conditions for insufficient pay.”
In their written statements on Friday, Reps. Beyer and Scott drew attention to and voiced their support for the ProAct – the Protecting the Right to Organize Act – which passed the House last year.
“It would take historic steps to strengthen workers’ right to organize, rebuild our middle class, and improve the lives of workers and their families,” said Rep. Scott, calling on the Senate to take up the measure.
Scott said the bill “would take historic steps to strengthen workers’ right to organize, rebuild our middle class, and improve the lives of workers and their families.”
If enacted, the ProAct would allow more workers to form a union, shielding them from retribution or firing as well as strengthening the government’s power to penalize employers who violate workers’ rights. Moreover, the act would weaken state “right-to-work” laws that allow employees to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their workplace.
President Biden has voiced his support for the ProAct, but a majority of Republicans have opposed the act, stating that it would hurt businesses and give unions too much bargaining power, among other reasons.
