Research on Unions.

MDRC prides itself on following the facts. We aim to produce rigorous evidence for policymakers to use in making decisions. There is extensive research into the value of unions, which we encourage you to review.

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Having a unionized workforce improves wages, benefits, and working conditions. It does this because the workers create a democratic workplace that values workers' input. Below are several studies that came to these conclusions.

McNicholas, Celine, Lynn Rhinehart, Margaret Poydock, Heidi Shierholz, and Daniel Perez (2020) Why unions are good for workers—especially in a crisis like COVID-19.

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Brenner, Mark, and Lina Stepick (2019) The Union Advantage. 

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Rosenfeld, Jake. (2019) US labor studies in the twenty-first century: Understanding laborism without labor.

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Farber, Henry S., Daniel Herbst, Ilyana Kuziemko, and Suresh Naidu. (2018) Unions and inequality over the twentieth century: New evidence from survey data.

Hagedorn, Jenn, Claudia Alexandra Paras, Howard Greenwich, and Amy Hagopian. (2016) The Role of Labor Unions in Creating Working Conditions That Promote Public Health.

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Illinois Update. (2016) Union Members Get Back $6 for Every Dollar Contributed in Dues.