| "Unions reduce inequality" -- economist |
| Thursday, 04 March 2010 09:15 |
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According to Harry J. Holzer, Professor of Public Policy at Georgetown University and a former chief economist at the U.S. Labor Department, "evidence shows unions reduce costly worker turnover, raise the skill levels of employees, and often lead to more productivity. And any negative union effects on employment or economic growth in the U.S. and abroad are mostly modest." Moreover, it is beyond doubt that " unions raise the wages and benefits of their workers and tend to reduce economic inequality." The increase in economic inequality in the U.S. over the last 30 years correlates with the decrease in private-sector union membership. Holzer notes that as an economist he has sometimes been at odds with the organized labor, but that "a sensible discussion requires a careful, dispassionate look at the theory and evidence on unions -- rather than right-wing ideology and stereotypes dressed up as analysis." "Wrecking U.S. Economy Didn’t Start With Labor," Bloomberg.com. March 3, 2010. |
