September 01, 2023

Labor Day: Treasury Department Study Demonstrates Union Benefits for Workers and Labor Unions Approval Rating Reaches Record Levels

The Treasury Department has released a new report demonstrating that unions are vital for worker security and fighting income inequality. The report shows that union workers earn 20% more on average than non-union workers.

In addition to boosting wages, unions make workplaces safer and increase access to retirement plans. 93% of union workers in private industries have access to a retirement plan, while only 66% of non-union workers have access to a retirement plan.

Also this week, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond delivered an inaugural State of the Unions address where they released new polling. The poll underscores the American people’s support of unions—especially that of young workers—and their view of unions as critical to growing the middle class and providing opportunities for working people to thrive.

The poll found that 7 in 10 Americans (71%) support unions cutting across party lines. A majority of Republicans and more than two-thirds of Independents join 9 in 10 (91%) Democrats in supporting unions. In addition, an unprecedented number of young Americans support unions. Nearly 9 in 10 (88%) people under 30 view unions favorably, a record high.

“The idea of a union may sound complicated, but in reality, unions are just a group of people coming together. They are about each of us becoming the most powerful version of ourselves that we possibly can,” said Shuler. “That’s all a union is. It’s that simple.”

“The workers of today are the retirees of tomorrow,” said Alliance Secretary-Treasurer Joseph Peters, Jr. “Workers in a union not only earn more, they are more likely to have a secure retirement. As we take the time to celebrate this weekend, we must also remember that the fight for workers’ rights continues, and that unions are the best way to secure and preserve those rights.”