Unionization for processing workers helps promote middle-class earnings: Hourly and annual union difference for cannabis processing proxy workers by selected characteristics (2019$)
| Union hourly wage difference | Average full-time annual wages of nonunion workers | Full-time annual wage difference | Implied average full-time annual wages with a union | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | $4.18 | $32,790 | $8,686 | $41,476 |
| Occupation† | ||||
| Packers and packagers | $3.33 | $26,185 | $6,937 | $33,121 |
| Agricultural and food science technicians | $6.07 | $47,693 | $12,634 | $60,327 |
| Gender | ||||
| Women | $3.46 | $30,290 | $7,190 | $37,480 |
| Race/ethnicity | ||||
| Black | $3.34 | $31,746 | $6,951 | $38,697 |
| Latinx | $4.81 | $28,598 | $10,005 | $38,603 |
Notes: The union premium is how much more unionized workers earn in wages than similar nonunion workers in cannabis processing proxy jobs. Unionized workers are those workers covered by a union contract. The union premium is calculated using regression specification no. 3 from Table 4. For full methodology, see the Appendix. The full-time premium is estimated assuming workers work 40 hours per week and 52 weeks per year.
† Packers and packagers is the occupation with the lowest median wage in the processing proxy group. The agricultural and food science technicians group is the occupation with the highest median wage in the processing proxy group. For a full list of occupations in the processing proxy group, see Appendix Table 2.
Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey ORG data (EPI 2021a).