Union Wages Benefit Saint John

CLC report says belonging to a union benefits workers, communities


OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Aug. 27, 2014) - Researchers at the Canadian Labour Congress have found that on average unionized workers in Saint John earn $6.36 an hour more than do non-union workers and CLC president Hassan Yussuff says that benefits everyone. "The extra earnings by unionized employees translate into an added $4.65 million every week paid into the local community."

CLC researchers surveyed wages in 76 Canadian metropolitan and other census areas. They discovered that in New Brunswick unionized workers earn an average of $7.61 an hour more than their non-union counterparts, which puts an extra $27.24 million a week into the provincial economy. "We are proud of the contributions our members have made to build a stronger middle class and a more secure economy for everyone who lives here," says Yussuff.

The CLC researchers also found that centres with more union members support a richer mix of businesses and services. "Union members spend their pay cheques close to home and that helps local businesses, Yussuff says. "We bolster the tax base which also supports public works, community services and charities."

Most Canadians, Yussuff says, believe that unions have a positive role to play in society. "People do want unions to advocate for minimum wages, overtime pay, workplace safety standards, parental leaves, vacation pay and protection from discrimination and harassment. Many benefits first gained at the bargaining table are now enjoyed by all workers, whether or not they belong to a union."

But Yussuff says labour advocacy goes beyond strictly workplace issues. "We push elected officials at all levels to provide a broad range of family-supporting public programs and services. For example, every Canadian should have a decent pension to retire on and that's why we are working to convince governments to improve Canada Pension Plan benefits. We do this in the interest of creating fairness and when we succeed we raise the bar for everyone."

Yussuff adds that being in a union is especially important for women and younger workers. In New Brunswick, women who belong to a union earn an average of $916 an hour more than do women in non-unionized workplaces. Young workers in the province aged 15 to 29 earn an additional $4.69 an hour if they belong to a union.

The Canadian Labour Congress, the national voice of the labour movement, represents 3.3 million Canadian workers. The CLC brings together Canada's national and international unions along with the provincial and territorial federations of labour and 111 district labour councils. Web site: www.canadianlabour.ca Follow us on Twitter @CanadianLabour

Contact Information:

Jeff Atkinson
CLC Communications
613-526-7425
Cell-text: 613-863-1413
jatkinson@clc-ctc.ca