Sunday Studies: Unions Good For Workers, Communities, and Democracy

You’ve probably heard it before. Some small business owner you know states that “unions aren’t needed anymore.”  Of course, they rarely have any evidence to back up this statement and they really don’t want to hear how a union has helped you or your friends and family.

Well, get ready to send some evidence their way.  The Economic Policy Institute has released Unions are not only good for workers, they’re good for communities and for democracy.

We know that unions promote economic equality and build worker power, helping workers to win increases in pay, better benefits, and safer working conditions.

But that’s not all unions do. Unions also have powerful effects on workers’ lives outside of work.

In this report, we document the correlation between higher levels of unionization in states and a range of economic, personal, and democratic well-being measures. In the same way unions give workers a voice at work, with a direct impact on wages and working conditions, the data suggest that unions also give workers a voice in shaping their communities. Where workers have this power, states have more equitable economic structures, social structures, and democracies.

(graphic via clipartbest.com)