Frank Manzo, Director of the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the impact of collective bargaining rights on union membership and wage growth. Manzo shared insights from recent research showing increased union membership in states that protect workers' rights, the economic benefits of union membership and the challenges posed by right-to-work laws and judicial decisions.
The research by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign revealed a stark contrast between states with and without right-to-work laws. While union membership declined nationally, the losses were concentrated in So-Called “Right-to-Work” states. Conversely, states protecting collective bargaining rights saw growth in union membership. Manzo highlighted examples such as Michigan, which repealed its right-to-work law in 2023 and gained 15,000 union members, recovering a quarter of the union density losses suffered during the previous decade.
Union membership brings significant economic benefits to workers and their communities. Manzo reported that union members in Illinois earn 13 percent higher wages than their non-union counterparts, even after accounting for demographic factors, occupation and industry. Additionally, union members are 8 percent more likely to own homes, have better health insurance coverage and are less likely to rely on government assistance programs. The research also found that workers in So-Called “Right-to-Work” states earn 7 percent less than those in states protecting collective bargaining rights, even after adjusting for cost-of-living differences.
Despite the clear benefits of union membership, challenges remain. Manzo discussed the impact of judicial decisions like the Janus case, which has eroded public sector union membership and contributed to labor shortages in government jobs. He also highlighted efforts in some states, such as Utah, to strip collective bargaining rights from public sector workers. However, there is hope on the horizon, with states like Illinois passing Workers' Rights Amendments to enshrine collective bargaining rights in their state constitutions, potentially serving as a model for other states seeking to protect workers' rights.
Listen to the full episode to hear more from Manzo about the crucial role of collective bargaining rights in strengthening unions and improving workers' lives.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.
America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.
