WNY– For several decades now, the most reliable research and data suggests our rigged economy disproportionately hurts women and people of color— even though the existence of unions provide the most effective vehicle for women and people of color to gain their fair share of the wealth they create and to secure the freedoms and rights we all deserve.
Those of us in the civil rights community and those of us in the Labor Movement know that civil rights and economic rights are inextricably linked. As Dr. King believed, one cannot be achieved without the other. That is why, in 1968, Dr. King came to the aid of striking AFSCME Memphis sanitation workers who were protesting inhumane conditions that led to the gruesome death of two workers on the job. The striking workers were demanding that their union be recognized.
Today, the Labor Movement and our allies continue to carry MLK’s legacy to stand up to bigotry, discrimination and inequality in the workplace and in our communities. The so called “right-to-work” laws popping up across the nation originated in the Jim Crow south and were designed to keep black workers disenfranchised and less able to organize for power. Today, billionaire CEOs and right-wing politicians continue to rig the rules against people of color, using state legislatures and the federal court system to push through these so called “right-to work” laws that keep wages down for everyone– both union and non-union alike.
Here are some facts:
- Union jobs have historically been and continue to be a path to the middle class for communities of color, who often face low wages in their professions. Black union members today earn 14.7 percent more and Latino union workers 21.8 percent more than their non-union counterparts. In some sectors the difference is even greater.
- Black women in unions earn an average of $21.90 an hour while non-union women earn $17.04. In addition, more than 72 percent of women in unions have health insurance, while less than 50 percent of non-union black women do.
- When Latinos are members of a union, their median weekly income increases by more than 38 percent and, in some cases, are 41 percent more likely to have employer-provided health insurance.
- Unions allow all workers to join together to negotiate with their employers for fair wages and benefits. However the wage gap between women and men in unions is dramatically lower than in non-union workplaces – about 9 cents and shrinking. Meanwhile, most non-union women still earn 78 cents for every dollar a man makes.
America can do much better—and it is incumbent on all working people to join together on this Labor Day and advocate for strong unions, working women and people of color. When unions are strong– workers are strong. And when workers are strong– America is strong.
-Ove Overmyer
