IT PAYS TO BE UNION!

Union membership brings many benefits to working people. One of the major benefits includes weekly earnings. The data below shows that union workers, on average, made 30% more per week than nonunion workers in 1999. Furthermore, when breaking it down to both industries and occupational categories, the union difference becomes even clearer.

WEEKLY EARNINGS ADVANTAGE FOR UNION MEMBERS, 1999

Full-Time Wage and Salary

	Union	Non Union	% Difference
All Workers 16 and Over	$672	$516	30%
Industry
Communications & Public Utilities	$773	$738	5%
Durable Goods Manufacturing	$628	$584	8%
Nondurable Goods Manufacturing	$584	$518	13%
Transportation	$727	$551	32%
Government	$714	$585	22%
Occupation
Technicians	$714	$608	17%
Precision Production, Craft, Repair	$755	$546	38%
Machine Operators, Assemblers, Inspectors	$572	$394	45%
Transportation Moving	$668	$478	40%
Professional Specialty	$826	$794	4%
Administrative - Clerical	$574	$429	34%

Workers' Median Weekly Earnings

Note: In addition to the earnings benefits gained from being unionized, some of the union/nonunion difference may be due to factors such as employee skill level, region of the country, and size of employer.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Union Members in 1999", January 2000.

IBEW Organizing Committee Training