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Labor Secretary Thomas Perez Says, "Union Members Earn $200 More a Week Than Those Not In Unions"

Do union members really make $200 a week more than people who aren’t in unions? Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez said "YES"

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, Perez said, "If you have a union job, you're making on average $950 a week. If you have a non-union job, you're making $750 a week. So collective bargaining is a big part of how this middle class grew in America and it continues to be an important part of who we are as Americans."

"Unions do more to raise the wages of workers with less-than-average education than they do to boost the wages of those with better-than-average education," said Gary Burtless, an economist with the Brookings Institution. "Unionized Ph.D.s do not gain as much from being in a union as high school dropouts, though even unionized Ph.D.s may enjoy better job security and receive bigger helpings of health and retirement benefits than their non-union counterparts."

Labor Secretary Thomas Perez said "that union members earn $200 more a week than non-union workers. Is that correct? His figures are correct and his claim true.

"Unions are typically more successful in getting good fringe benefits, especially health benefits, sickness pay, and retirement benefits" Burtless said.

Thomas Edward Perez is an American politician, consumer advocate and civil rights lawyer who is the current United States Secretary of Labor.