A new report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) shows that Black workers who are represented by a union enjoy substantial benefits compared to their nonunion counterparts. Released ahead of the anniversary of the historic March on Washington, the new research demonstrates that unions are an essential element in the fight for economic justice.

The new CEPR paper – The Union Advantage for Black Workers: Wages, Benefits, and the Unfinished March – finds that Black workers with union representation enjoy a 13.2 percent hourly wage premium relative to their nonunion peers, which amounts to an extra $3.73 per hour. For Black workers without a bachelor’s degree, this union advantage is even greater – they make 18.6 percent more. Unionized Black workers were also more likely than their nonunion counterparts to have employer-sponsored health insurance (15.7 percent increase) and retirement plans (53.7 percent increase). The report is based on data from the Current Population Survey from 2016 to 2024.

Though the share of Black workers represented by a union has fallen sharply over the last several decades – as it has for all workers – Black workers still have the highest representation rate (13.1 percent in 2024) across racial and ethnic groups.

The size of the union wage premium for Black workers varies by region, with the largest advantages found in the Southeast (15.5 percent) and Plains states (16.8 percent). These findings reflect both the challenges of hostile legal terrain in certain parts of the US, and the potential for unions to deliver transformative economic benefits where protections are weakest.

“Unions remain a critical tool for advancing economic justice for Black workers,” said report co-author and CEPR Research Associate Hayley Brown. “Union representation is associated with higher wages and greater access to health care and retirement benefits. Strengthening unions is both a labor priority and a racial justice imperative.”

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