Statistics Canada’s report on unionization shows a positive relationship between unionization and earnings and hours. In Ontario, average hourly earnings for unionized full-time employees were 21 per cent higher in 2010 than for their non-union counterparts. And union members worked an average of three per cent fewer hours per week.
For unionized part-time employees the wage advantage was 51 per cent, and they worked more hours. As a result, their earnings were two-thirds higher than if they had not belonged to a union.
The benefits of unionization in 2010 were more pronounced for women. Women working full-time in a unionized job earned 28 per cent more than women in non-union jobs. For part-time unionized women, average earnings were 81 per cent higher than for women working in non-union positions.
After adjusting for variables such as employee and workplace characteristics, one study by Tony Fang and Anil Verma estimated the union wage premium to be almost eight per cent.
This article originally appeared in the OCUFA Report. To receive stories like this every week in your inbox, please subscribe.