“Union and Upward Mobility for APA Workers,” a new report by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), was released in November to reveal the advantages of unionization for Asian Pacific American (APA) workers. It analyzes data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS) from the period between 2003 and 2007.
The report states that APA workers in unions earn more and are more likely to have benefits. “The data shows that joining a union makes a big difference in the wages and benefits of APA workers,” stated Nicole Woo, director of domestic policy at the CEPR and an author of the report.
These advantages include a pay raise of about $2 per hour, an approximate 19 percent greater chance of having employer-provided health insurance, and a 25 percent greater chance of having an employer-provided pension plan over their non-union counterparts.
APA workers and Latinos are the fastest growing groups in the U.S. workforce. Also, they are the fastest growing ethnic groups in organized labor. ♦
For more information on the report, visit www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/unions-apa.