Sign up for the lastest information from the IBEW!

Union membership brings many benefits to working people. One of the major benefits includes weekly earnings. The data below show that union workers, on average, made $201 or 27% more per week than nonunion workers in 2012. Furthermore, when breaking it down to both industries and occupational categories, the union difference becomes even clearer.

Weekly Earning Advantage for Union Members, 2012
Full-time Wage and Salary Workers’ Median Weekly Earnings

	Union	Nonunion	Union Weekly Advantage	% Difference
All Workers 16 and Over	$943	$742	$201	27%

By Race and Gender
Caucasian, 16 years & over	$973	$762	$211	28%
Men	$1,025	$845	$180	21%
Women	$902	$681	$221	32%
African American, 16 years & over	$784	$599	$185	31%
Men	$819	$624	$195	31%
Women	$755	$582	$173	30%
Hispanic or Latino, 16 years & over	$840	$530	$310	58%
Men	$881	$563	$318	56%
Women	$767	$503	$264	52%

Occupational Breakdown
Professional & related occupations	$1,098	$1,046	$52	5%
Services occupations	$754	$458	$296	65%
Office & administrative support	$808	$624	$184	29%
Natural resources, construction & maintenance occupations	$1,026	$688	$338	49%
Production, transportation & material moving occupations	$823	$597	$226	38%

Industry Breakdown
Construction	$1,086	$722	$364	50%
Durable Goods Manufacturing	$891	$819	$72	9%
Nondurable Goods Manufacturing	$827	$722	$105	15%
Transportation & Warehousing	$948	$746	$202	27%
Government	$990	$829	$161	19%
Utilities	$1,216	$1,086	$130	12%
Telecommunications	$1,162	$1,039	$123	12%

Note: In addition to the earnings benefits gained from being unionized, some of the union/nonunion differences may be due to factors such as employee skill level, region of the country, and size of the employer. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Union Members in 2007," January 2008.

Related Articles