The Way I See It!


Are the Public Sector Workers Really Paid Less?

Wisconsin, PUP, Public Sector Unions

Let’s look at a national study on this from left leaning MSNBC:


How do the earnings of government workers who are union members compare to the earnings of private-sector workers?


In 2010, median earnings of government workers who were union members were 25 percent higher than earnings of private workers.


How do the earnings of unionized government workers compare to the earnings of government workers who aren’t union members?


It depends on the level of government.


According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, for federal employees last year, the median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers who were union members were $977.  But the median weekly earnings of full-time federal workers who weren’t union members were $1,040.


But for state workers, union members had median weekly earnings nearly 17 percent higher than non-union members, $922 compared to $769.


Source and Full Article: MSNBC


You might be saying to yourself, “But Randy that is a study for the nation.  What is it like in Wisconsin?”


I was tipped to this by a few people.  Thanks Cudahy1st, mike34ts, and Jay Weber.


This is from AFSCME’s own webpage and since I received the link, the page is now somehow dead, but Thank God for Google Cache.  I have that link at the end and the original one at the beginning.


I don’t need to highlight or put any emphasis on!


From AFSCME website


Why do I need a union?

Simply talking about issues that affect public service employees isn’t enough.  To make a difference, our voices must be heard.  And we can be heard only when we organize as a union and gain the strength to make real change.  Together, our collective voice is heard — on the job and in state legislatures and city halls.


Do union workers get higher wages?



Do union workers get better benefits?

Yes.2 Union workers are more likely than their non-union counterparts to receive health care and pension benefits.  More than eight out of ten union members are covered by health insurance and have a pension plan — versus fewer than half of those not in a union.


Why do I need a union now?

Big corporations and anti-worker politicians are attacking public employees and the services we provide.  Their goal is simple: privatize our jobs, strip us of our rights and dismantle the public sector.  They’re going after our wages, our pensions and our health care.  And in 2005, newly elected governors in Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri took away the bargaining rights of all state employees.  This can happen anywhere.


In Washington, D.C., and in state capitols across the country, it’s the same old thing: politicians side with the rich and powerful, and neglect the needs of middle-class families.  Whether you are a public employee or work for a private company providing public services, we have to act now to stop the right-wing rush to lower our wages and benefits and eliminate our rights.  That’s why building a strong union is so important now.


1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, Median Weekly Earnings of Full-time Wage and Salary Workers by Union Affiliation, January 2007. [Top]  


2 Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey: Employee Benefits in Private Industry in the United States, August 2007. [Top]


Google Cache


I can only wonder why the webpage doesn’t work any more!



Page Tools