Union membership helps raise workers' pay and narrow the income gap that disadvantages minorities and women. White male union workers earn 23 percent more than nonunion white male workers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Their median weekly earnings for full-time wage and salary work were $967 in 2008, compared with $789 for their nonunion counterparts.

The union wage benefit is even greater for women and workers of color. Union women earn 32 percent more than nonunion women, African American union members earn 28 percent more than their nonunion counterparts,  for Latino workers, the union advantage equals 43 percent and for Asian American workers, the union advantage is 6 percent.

MEDIAN WEEKLY EARNINGS OF FULL-TIME
WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS, 2008

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Union Members in 2008," January 2009.
Prepared by the AFL-CIO.