What Can Unions Do? An Impact Estimate for an Increase in the US Private-Sector Unionization Rate on Workers’ Earnings

Tali Kristal

doi:10.1177/07308884231162933

What Can Unions Do? An Impact Estimate for an Increase in the US Private-Sector Unionization Rate on Workers’ Earnings

Tali Kristal

Department of Sociology

University of Haifa

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Unions are known to increase earnings and wage equality. Therefore, indications for recent union revitalization provoke the question of what unions would do today were they to restore their union density and hence power to the level of the early 1980s (about 20%). This article presents wage estimates for 1983 to 2020, assuming a 20% union density from 1983 onward, revealing higher earnings and lower wage inequality. However, since union membership today typifies low-wage workers with weaker bargaining power than formerly, the benefits from restoring union density and power will likely be lower today than in the past.

Original language	American English
Pages (from-to)	400-411
Number of pages	12
Journal	Work and Occupations
Volume	50
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/07308884231162933
State	Published - Aug 2023

Keywords

income inequality
labor unions
union membership
union revitalization

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Sociology and Political Science
Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1177/07308884231162933

Cite this

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abstract = "Unions are known to increase earnings and wage equality. Therefore, indications for recent union revitalization provoke the question of what unions would do today were they to restore their union density and hence power to the level of the early 1980s (about 20%). This article presents wage estimates for 1983 to 2020, assuming a 20% union density from 1983 onward, revealing higher earnings and lower wage inequality. However, since union membership today typifies low-wage workers with weaker bargaining power than formerly, the benefits from restoring union density and power will likely be lower today than in the past.",

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What Can Unions Do? An Impact Estimate for an Increase in the US Private-Sector Unionization Rate on Workers’ Earnings

Abstract

Keywords

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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