The case for tripling union membership: How rebuilding union power would strengthen workers, the economy, and our democracy

Submission statement: the Economic Policy Institute, a labor affiliated think tank, has put out a report on what the effects of tripling union membership (back to peak density in US history) would have on workers and the broader economy, this is relevant as it helps to paint a picture of what the labor economists are imagining and what they think the effects will be.

Summary of the findings:

**>Deliver a 14.5% raise for the median worker—amounting to more than $7,700 annually, or nearly $270,000 over a 35-year career.** These life-changing increases would benefit union and nonunion workers alike.

**>Shift $1.2 trillion to workers annually.** This would reverse a third of the increase in inequality experienced since 1979.

**>Significantly narrow racial wage gaps.** Because unions tend to boost wages more for Black and Hispanic workers than for white workers, tripling union membership would close racial wage gaps by more than one-third.

**>Boost the number of people with health insurance**. Since unions increase other forms of compensation, like health insurance benefits, the number of nonelderly people without health insurance would fall by about 25%. Unions further reduce uninsured rates by advocating for increased public benefits like Medicaid.

**>Strengthen communities.** States with high union density invest more in public education, have higher unemployment insurance recipiency rates, and have all adopted Medicaid expansion.

**>Protect democracy.** Unions boost voter turnout, equip workers with civic skills, and actively defend voting rights. States with high union density have passed far fewer voter restriction bills than low-density states.

This is all good and theoretically plausible, but I’m disappointed they don’t even mention [sectoral bargaining](https://equitablegrowth.org/in-conversation-with-daron-acemoglu/?longform=true#how_to_boost_worker_power_in_the_united_states_to_create_more_shared_prosperity_amid_technological_change)- the PRO act which they support doesn’t seem sufficient to change the trend of decline/stagnation. Not to mention how it would shift how unions operate in general to be more holistic and cooperative/collaborative.