Combating Inequality: The Between- and Within-Group Effects of Unionization on Earnings for People with Different Disabilities

Abstract

This paper addresses whether and how unions help to dismantle workplace inequality experienced by people with different types of disabilities. Using pooled 2009-2018 CPS MORG data of 630,799 respondents covering almost a decade, we find that union membership is especially beneficial for people with disabilities compared to the larger population, as well as other status groups. Furthermore, people with the severest disabilities benefit the most from being in unionized work, increasing weekly earnings by 36% for people with self-care and independent living-related disabilities. Because union membership increases disabled workers’ weekly earnings by more than double the increase experienced by people without disabilities, it brings unionized disabled workers closer to overall average earnings with important implications for inequality. Unionized work reduces earnings inequality between disabled and non-disabled workers, but earnings boosts associated with union membership generate more pronounced inequality within groups of workers with disabilities depending on whether individuals have access to unionized employment. We find that gaps among employed unionized and non-unionized disabled workers are significantly larger than those experienced by unionized and non-unionized female, Black, and Hispanic workers.