IT PAYS TO SAY 'UNION YES!'

Of all the differences between a workplace where workers are covered by a union contract and one where they are not, the biggest difference can be summed up in two words: better benefits.

A new book set to be published in January by the Economic Policy Institute, The State of Working America, 2002-03, compares unionized workers to others who do similar work in a nonunionized workplace. It finds that the typical unionized worker is 53.9 percent more likely to have a pension, is 28.2 percent more likely to have health insurance, and gets three more days of paid vacation each year.

"In a match-up with nonunionized jobs, unionized work wins hands-down on all four measures of what defines a good job--health coverage, retirement benefits, paid days off and wages," said Lawrence Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute and author of the book.

The typical worker with a union contract is paid 11.5 percent more per hour than a similar nonunionized worker. Among Hispanic and black workers, the premium for working under a union contract was even greater, adding up to 16 percent and 12.7 percent, respectively.

"For working people, a union contract still pays big dividends," said Mishel. "Whether you're white, black or Hispanic, man or woman, the surest ticket to better compensation for your work is a union card in your wallet."

The book can be ordered beginning January 1 at www.epinet.org.

American Federation of Teachers, AFL•CIO - 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW - Washington, DC 20001