The Union Wage Advantage for Low-Wage Workers | | 6/11/2008 12:00:00 AM
Media Contact:
Joel Rogers, Director
jrogers@cows.org, 608-262-4266
Laura Dresser, Associate Director
ldresser@cows.org, 608-262-6944
A new report from the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), released today, shows that unionization significantly boosts the wages of low-wage workers. The report, The Union Wage Advantage for Low-Wage Workers, finds joining a union raises the wages of the typical low-wage worker by 20.6 percent nationally. Unionization also increases wages at the middle and top of the wage distribution, but the effects are lessened.
In Wisconsin, the bottom 10 percent of workers have the most to gain from unionization, earning 20.7 percent or $1.63 per hour more than their non-unionized peers. Those right in the middle of the pay scale see their wages rise 12.1 percent or $1.75 per hour with unionization. For high-wage workers – the top 10 percent of earners – being part of a union increases pay about 9.5 percent or $2.65 per hour, less than half of the increase for low-wage workers. 16.7 percent of workers in Wisconsin belong to unions.
COWS is pleased to share this information with you.
Below are links to the full report from CEPR as well and their national media release.
Link to the full report:
http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/quantile_2008_05.pdf
Link to the national media release:
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/press-releases/press-releases/unionization-substantially-increases-the-wages-of-low-wage-workers/
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Suzanne Swift
Center on Wisconsin Strategy
sswift@cows.org
608 263 0819
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