Union members continue to have dramatically better workplace benefits than nonunion workers, according to new research by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
That union advantage means union workers are more likely to have health insurance. They?re more likely to have an employer-paid pension, paid holidays and paid vacations. Not only are union workers more likely to have more benefits, they?re more likely to have better benefits, too. And they don?t just have health insurance ? they generally pay less for it than nonunion workers pay. Union workers don?t just have paid time off, they?re likely to have more of it ? more paid holidays and more paid vacation time.
Union workers also are more likely to have dental and vision coverage, paid life insurance, short-term disability coverage, even paid jury duty. All that?s on top of benefits that the government doesn?t track, everything from scheduling and seniority rights to overtime protections and contract guarantees against unjust firings or disciplinary actions.
Better benefits, better futures
Health insurance and retirement plans are prime examples of how working under a union contract helps union members provide for themselves, their families and their futures.
Only 50 percent of nonunion workers had health insurance in 2004, but 81 percent of union workers had it. The union edge ? 31 points ? actually is expanding; four years earlier, the gap was 26 percentage points.
Here are other examples of the union advantage in medical coverage:
? Union members pay lower premiums for health insurance. For single coverage, 43 percent of union workers pay no monthly premium at all; only 21 percent of nonunion workers can say the same thing.
? When they do pay premiums, union workers typically pay 11 percent of the monthly premium, about half of the 20 percent that nonunion workers must pay. That saves union members an average of $149.40 a year.
? For family coverage, 33 percent of union workers pay no monthly premiums, compared with only 7 percent of nonunion workers. When they do pay premiums, union workers typically pay 17 percent of the premium ? again, only half of the 33 percent that nonunion workers must pay. That saves union members an average of $940.68 a year.
The results are similar for retirement benefits. Fewer than half of nonunion workers have a retirement plan on their job, compared with 81 percent of union workers. Other examples of the union advantage:
? Only 15 percent of nonunion workers have a defined-benefit retirement plan, compared with 69 percent of union workers. That means union workers can look forward to a guaranteed pension when they retire, paid for by our employer.
? About 42 percent of workers ? union or not ? have a defined-contribution retirement plan, such as a 401(k). For nonunion workers, that is likely to be the only retirement plan they have. That means most of their retirement savings come out of their own pocket; their final retirement benefit depends on the whims of the financial markets. But for union workers, the defined-contribution plan often is in addition to a defined-benefit pension.
The individual advantages of working under a union contract also add up. For instance, a typical union worker with 15 years? experience enjoys almost a full week more of paid time off each year, compared with nonunion workers: 2 extra paid holidays and 2.5 extra paid vacation days. Veteran union employees enjoy even more paid time off ? an average of 7.6 days a year after 25 years of service.
Part-time service workers have fewest benefits
The government?s employee benefits report shows a wealth of other information. For instance, full-time workers are four times more like to have health insurance than part-time workers, and more than twice as likely to have a retirement plan. Part-time workers also typically receive fewer paid holidays and fewer paid vacation days.
Manufacturing jobs are substantially more likely to provide benefits than service-sector jobs are, and larger companies are substantially more likely to provide benefits than companies with fewer than 100 employees.
The percentage of workers receiving health insurance and retirement benefits on the job has remained relatively stable since 2000. In fact, access to some benefits ? defined-contribution retirement plans, dental care, vision care and short-term disability ? actually is increasing, while access to other benefits ? notably life insurance and paid vacations ? is decreasing.
Although access to health insurance has remained essentially stable, workers are paying 24.2 percent more in premiums for single coverage, and 47.2 percent more for family coverage, compared with what they were paying in 2000. The average family cost has risen $1,018 in just four years, not counting any additional co-pays and other cost increases.
For more information
All figures in this article come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics? ?National Compensation Survey: Employee Benefits in Private Industry in the United States, 2004,? released in November. For the full report, go to www.bls.gov
Adapted from The Union Advocate, the official newspaper of the St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly. E-mail The Advocate at: advocate@mtn.org
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Union members continue to have dramatically better workplace benefits than nonunion workers, according to new research by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
That union advantage means union workers are more likely to have health insurance. They?re more likely to have an employer-paid pension, paid holidays and paid vacations. Not only are union workers more likely to have more benefits, they?re more likely to have better benefits, too. And they don?t just have health insurance ? they generally pay less for it than nonunion workers pay. Union workers don?t just have paid time off, they?re likely to have more of it ? more paid holidays and more paid vacation time.
Union workers also are more likely to have dental and vision coverage, paid life insurance, short-term disability coverage, even paid jury duty. All that?s on top of benefits that the government doesn?t track, everything from scheduling and seniority rights to overtime protections and contract guarantees against unjust firings or disciplinary actions.
Better benefits, better futures
Health insurance and retirement plans are prime examples of how working under a union contract helps union members provide for themselves, their families and their futures.
Only 50 percent of nonunion workers had health insurance in 2004, but 81 percent of union workers had it. The union edge ? 31 points ? actually is expanding; four years earlier, the gap was 26 percentage points.
Here are other examples of the union advantage in medical coverage:
? Union members pay lower premiums for health insurance. For single coverage, 43 percent of union workers pay no monthly premium at all; only 21 percent of nonunion workers can say the same thing.
? When they do pay premiums, union workers typically pay 11 percent of the monthly premium, about half of the 20 percent that nonunion workers must pay. That saves union members an average of $149.40 a year.
? For family coverage, 33 percent of union workers pay no monthly premiums, compared with only 7 percent of nonunion workers. When they do pay premiums, union workers typically pay 17 percent of the premium ? again, only half of the 33 percent that nonunion workers must pay. That saves union members an average of $940.68 a year.
More leisure time
The results are similar for retirement benefits. Fewer than half of nonunion workers have a retirement plan on their job, compared with 81 percent of union workers. Other examples of the union advantage:
? Only 15 percent of nonunion workers have a defined-benefit retirement plan, compared with 69 percent of union workers. That means union workers can look forward to a guaranteed pension when they retire, paid for by our employer.
? About 42 percent of workers ? union or not ? have a defined-contribution retirement plan, such as a 401(k). For nonunion workers, that is likely to be the only retirement plan they have. That means most of their retirement savings come out of their own pocket; their final retirement benefit depends on the whims of the financial markets. But for union workers, the defined-contribution plan often is in addition to a defined-benefit pension.
The individual advantages of working under a union contract also add up. For instance, a typical union worker with 15 years? experience enjoys almost a full week more of paid time off each year, compared with nonunion workers: 2 extra paid holidays and 2.5 extra paid vacation days. Veteran union employees enjoy even more paid time off ? an average of 7.6 days a year after 25 years of service.
Part-time service workers have fewest benefits
The government?s employee benefits report shows a wealth of other information. For instance, full-time workers are four times more like to have health insurance than part-time workers, and more than twice as likely to have a retirement plan. Part-time workers also typically receive fewer paid holidays and fewer paid vacation days.
Manufacturing jobs are substantially more likely to provide benefits than service-sector jobs are, and larger companies are substantially more likely to provide benefits than companies with fewer than 100 employees.
The percentage of workers receiving health insurance and retirement benefits on the job has remained relatively stable since 2000. In fact, access to some benefits ? defined-contribution retirement plans, dental care, vision care and short-term disability ? actually is increasing, while access to other benefits ? notably life insurance and paid vacations ? is decreasing.
Although access to health insurance has remained essentially stable, workers are paying 24.2 percent more in premiums for single coverage, and 47.2 percent more for family coverage, compared with what they were paying in 2000. The average family cost has risen $1,018 in just four years, not counting any additional co-pays and other cost increases.
For more information
All figures in this article come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics? ?National Compensation Survey: Employee Benefits in Private Industry in the United States, 2004,? released in November. For the full report, go to www.bls.gov
Adapted from The Union Advocate, the official newspaper of the St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly. E-mail The Advocate at: advocate@mtn.org