Report: Unionized Latinos fare better in workforce

Hispanic workers in labor unions make more money and have better health and retirement benefits than those who aren’t members, according to a new report.

The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) report released Monday concludes that organized labor must invest in expanding its outreach to Hispanics to help grow union membership and provide more leverage to strengthen collective bargaining laws.

{mosads}“Latino and immigrant workers are making significant contributions to our country, but are facing unprecedented challenges at the workplace and in their communities,” said Hector Sanchez, LCLAA’s executive director.

“Over 6.8 million Latino workers are earning poverty level wages and need the economic security the labor movement has ensured for America’s middle class,” he said.

The report said that Latino workers face higher wage thefts and death rates on the job and the lowest pension and health insurance coverage all while earning the lowest wages.

In one of the most striking findings of the report, Latinos who belong to a union earn on average $11,544 more than those not in unions.

The report also noted that Latinos represent an increasing share of the U.S. population, workforce and voting group as they face growing challenges in the workplace.

“Unions are at historically low levels of membership and urgently need Latinos and immigrant workers in order to grow,” the report said.

“If unions are to survive and rebuild in the near future, there is no doubt that Latinos and all minorities will have to join the labor movement,” the report said.

In 2014, 9.2 percent of Hispanic workers were members of a union, according to the Commerce Department.

Between 2011 and 2014, the number of Hispanic workers in a union grew by 6.25 percent to more than 2.2 million.

The report argues that “Latinos — by virtue of their enormous presence in the service-sector and construction — will play a pivotal role in bringing unions’ share of the workforce back up to healthier levels.”

The report comes as labor unions such as the AFL-CIO and congressional Democrats ride the momentum of unions’ resurgent popularity.

They are intensifying their calls for legislation that increases wages, allow workers more control over their schedules and give them a stronger voice if they are fired for trying to organize in the workplace.

The issues — unions and immigration — are hot topics on the 2016 campaign trail.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) has tried to push his union-busting campaign national, but it has so far failed to gain traction.

Meanwhile, Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump’s calls to ramp up deportations and build a fence on the U.S.-Mexico border have garnered much more attention and pushed the GOP immigration debate further to the right.

A study supported by the University of California suggests that participation in a union promotes more community involvement, the report showed.

“Although the current outlook for Latinos is uncertain, their potential for growth is impressive,” the LCLAA report says.

“Wielding over $1.5 trillion dollars in purchasing power, making huge gains in the workforce and electorate, it’s no surprise that the future for Latinos can be drastically different and positive,” the report says.

“But in order to realize this potential, Latinos must harness their strengths and exert their voice in the workplace.”