Union Advantage in BC

ABBOTSFORD MISSION l KELOWNA l VANCOUVER l VICTORIA

There were 592,200 union members working in British Columbia in 2012. That’s 31% of all employees. Their weekly payroll of over $575 million accounted for 36% of the total for the whole province.

On average, unionized workers earned $5.12/hour more than non-union employees. That union advantage translated into $100 million more every week paid into local economies to support local businesses and community services.

Union Wage Contribution to the British Columbia Economy *

Average hourly wage for workers with unions
$27.10

Average hourly wage for workers without unions
$21.98

Union Advantage
$5.12/hour

How many workers are union members?
592,200

Union members as % of all employees
31%

Total weekly payroll for all workers with unions
over $575 million

Above as % of total community weekly payroll
36%

What the Union Advantage provides to the province economy
$100 million/week

*Based on the average annual wages for 2012 (Statistics Canada).