The share of U.S. adults who say the long-term decline in the share of workers represented by unions has been bad for working people. Union membership hit an all-time low this past week.
(Pew)
Does this stat surprise you. It is surprising to me. What did not surprise me, this a partisan view.
Pew points out union support is increasingly partisan. Around seven-in-ten Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say the decline in the percentage of workers represented by unions in recent decades has been very or somewhat bad for the country (71%), and a similar share say it has been bad for working people (76%). Among Republicans and GOP leaners, 40% say the decline of organized labor has been bad for the country and 45% say it has been bad for working people.
Among Republicans, there are sizable age, educational and income divides in views about the impact of the decline of union membership. The differences among Democrats are more modest.
Right to work states have lower wages for it's labor force. the Economic Policy Institute that found wages in right-to-work states were 3.1% lower than non-right-to-work states after accounting for differences in the cost of living.
And right to work states have higher poverty rates. According to IUPAT, Poverty rates are higher in states with right to work laws (14.8 percent overall and 20.2 percent for children), compared with poverty rates of 13.1 percent overall and 18.3 percent for children in states without these laws. The infant mortality rate is 14.2 percent higher in states with these laws.
Are fair wages and competitive advantage mutually exclusive? Considering that workers who feel valued are more productive, even invested in their work, paying people what they are worth pays off.
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