Public Employee Press


Editorial
Unions and upward mobility

Upward mobility in the United States is now lower than in most other developed countries.

This reality is at odds with the myth of the American Dream and the perception that our country is the richest in the world.

Studies on social mobility typically focus on such factors as the impact of public policies and whether a child comes from a single mother household, drops out of high school, or lives in a segregated neighborhood.

These reports, however, neglect to include an important additional factor - unions.

"Bargaining for the American Dream," a recent report by the Center for American Progress, documents how the children who live in union households are more likely to climb up the economic ladder than children from non-union homes.

In addition to comparing the experiences of children from union and non-union families, the Center for American Progress also considers the effect of union density in geographical areas on upward mobility.

Among the findings:

• children from low-income families are more likely to be upwardly mobile if they come from areas with higher union membership
• children can expect to earn more when they become adults if they come from neighborhoods with greater union density, and
• children whose parents are low-skilled benefit the most by growing up in union homes.