Unionized jobs inject millions more into economy: CLC

Organized workers earn up to $5 more per hour, study says

Higher payrolls for employees who belong to a union pump millions of extra dollars into the economy compared to non-unionized workers, according to a report from the Canadian Labour Congress.

The Union Advantage, released on Aug. 22, looked at union members in different provinces and 30 communities across the country, and how they contribute to the local economy. For instance, in Toronto, unionized workers earned $4.36 more an hour than their non-union counterparts, which translates to almost $90.6 million more per week for the local economy. Over in Calgary, that “union advantage” earns employees an additional $2.67 hourly, which means almost $11 million a week for local businesses and community services.

Overall, Canadians belonging to unions (about 32 per cent of all workers) make $4.97 more compared non-union staffers, on average. The CLC said that equals to just under $786 million every week for the economy.

“When workers, through their unions, are able to bargain freely for decent wages, benefits and pensions, there are benefits for the middle class and for society as a whole. Unionized workers spend most or all of their pay cheques in businesses in their local community,” said Ken Georgetti, CLC’s president. “We believe that decent wages and decent pensions enrich the community and the country.”

The CLC used data from Statistics Canada to put out this report.

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