Retirement and medical care benefits were available to 70 percent of civilian workers in March 2017,
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Ninety-four percent of union workers had access to
employer-sponsored retirement and medical care benefits. For nonunion workers, 66 percent had access
to retirement benefits and 67 percent to medical care benefits. (See chart 1 and tables 1 and 2.)
For civilian workers, the shares employers paid of medical care premium costs were 80 percent for
single coverage and 68 percent for family coverage. The employee and employer shares of premiums
also varied by bargaining status. Employers assumed 87 percent of the premium for single coverage for
union workers and 79 percent for nonunion workers. For family coverage, union workers had 80 percent
of the premium paid for by employers, whereas nonunion workers had 65 percent of the premium paid
by employers.
Politsturm: We can see statistically that workers who are represented by a union receive many benefits compared to non-unionized workers. Unionized workers have more access to retirement and medical care benefits. Also, when workers receive these benefits they are able to make the employer pay for a larger percentage of the associated premium. There are numerous benefits associated with union-membership and this report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics confirms this fact.
The capitalist class buys the labor power, the ability of the worker to perform labor, on the market like any other commodity. This capitalist would prefer to pay the worker the biological minimum necessary for the worker to survive on a day-to-day basis. The United States has a violent labor history in which striking and organized labor was able to get concessions from the capitalist class and raise their living standards. This report should serve as proof to workers that when they are organized they will achieve better results than when they are non-unionized. The capitalist class is not benevolent and rather stands in clear opposition to the workers.