Union Pay Is Higher in Nearly All Occupational Groups

It is hard to compare precisely the compensation of union and nonunion workers because individual workers differ by age, length of time on the job and other characteristics. By comparing the wages of workers within occupational categories, the union difference becomes clearer. Union membership brings one of the greatest pay differences in the protective services, where members earn $820 per week, compared with $519 for nonunion workers—a difference of 58 percent.

The union difference means that union machine operators earn 26 percent more than nonunion workers, and union administrative and clerical workers earn 25 percent more than employees who don't belong to unions. In 2002, nonunion salespeople were reported by the Department of Labor as earning slightly more than union workers.

Union and Non-union Earnings by Occupation, 2002

Full-Time Wage and Salary Workers’ Median Weekly Earnings: