REPORT: HIGHER UNION MEMBERSHIP = HIGHER WAGES = BETTER ECONOMY

Workers’ freedom to form unions and bargain will be critical to rebuilding a strong economy, says a new report released today that examines the effect of unions on wages and state economies. Unions Are Good for the American Economy, written by researchers Karla Walter and David Madland for the Center for American Progress Action Fund, says that increasing union rates would put more money in workers’ pockets, reversing the sharp growth in income inequality that has undermined our economy. In fact, if union membership was as high as it was in 1983, Walter and Madland suggest, employees would earn an estimated $49 billion more in wages and salaries. continue reading