The middle class and unions are inextricably linked. As union membership has declined income inequality has skyrocketed, as this chart from the Center for American Progress shows:
A new report released today by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) shows another benefit from being in a union. The report looked at workers with comparable “experience, education, region, industry, occupation, and marital status” and found that similar workers in a union earned on average 13.6 percent more than their non-union colleagues. Here’s a table from the report showing some of these results:
The message of these stats is clear. If you want to rebuild the middle class, start by rebuilding unions. Read the full EPI report on unions and inequality here.
Sometimes it seemed the unions went a little too far but the unions are the only real, active voice for the everyday worker. Without the unions workers can be pushed back until there are no jobs and things tend toward feudal.
Yes, we desperately need to bring back strong unions in this country. We need to encourage the spirit of solidarity among people instead of divisiveness in our communities. That is the only way people will reclaim democracy in this country.