Economic Growth
Between 1945 and 1973, when a high percentage of workers were in unions, wages kept pace with rising productivity, prosperity was widely shared and economic growth—and America’s middle class—was strong. Since 1973, the number of of people in unions have declined, causing real wages to stagnate, even though workers’ productivity has steadily risen.
Productivity
According to a recent survey of 73 independent studies on unions and productivity: “The available evidence points to a positive and statistically significant association between unions and productivity in the U.S. manufacturing and education sectors, of around 10 and 7 percent, respectively.”
Some scholars have found an even larger positive relationship between unions and productivity. According to Brown and Medoff, “unionized establishments are about 22 percent more productive than those that are not.”
Professors Michael Ash and Jean Ann Seago say heart attack recovery rates are higher in hospitals where nurses are in unions than in hospitals without unions. According to Professor Paul Clark, nurses, through their unions, improve patient care by negotiating contracts that raise staff-to-patient ratios, limit excessive overtime and improving nurse training.
Training
Several studies in have found a positive link between unionization and the amount and quality of workforce training. Unionized workplaces are more likely to offer formal training and this is especially true for small firms. Workers, through their unions, often negotiate contracts that include training, and unions often hold their own training.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
0 comments:
Post a Comment