The Union Wage Mark-Up for Immigrants in the United States

Laszlo Goerke; Cinzia Rienzo

doi:10.1111/irel.70022

The Union Wage Mark-Up for Immigrants in the United States

Laszlo Goerke
, Cinzia Rienzo

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Using data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) for 1995–2023, we show that unionized immigrants earn 10.1 log points less than unionized natives, of which 4.8 log points are due to a lower union wage mark-up. Therefore, unionization is beneficial for immigrants but to a lesser extent than for natives in the United States. The difference in the union wage mark-up between natives and immigrants is most pronounced for males and low-skilled blue-collar workers.

Original language	English
Number of pages	15
Journal	Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/irel.70022
Publication status	Published - 7 Jan 2026

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2026 Regents of the University of California (RUC).

Keywords

immigrants
union wage mark up
United States

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10.1111/irel.70022Licence: CC BY

Industrial Relations - 2026 - Goerke - The Union Wage Mark‐Up for Immigrants in the United States-1Final published version, 388 KBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "The Union Wage Mark-Up for Immigrants in the United States",

abstract = "Using data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) for 1995–2023, we show that unionized immigrants earn 10.1 log points less than unionized natives, of which 4.8 log points are due to a lower union wage mark-up. Therefore, unionization is beneficial for immigrants but to a lesser extent than for natives in the United States. The difference in the union wage mark-up between natives and immigrants is most pronounced for males and low-skilled blue-collar workers.",

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N2 - Using data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) for 1995–2023, we show that unionized immigrants earn 10.1 log points less than unionized natives, of which 4.8 log points are due to a lower union wage mark-up. Therefore, unionization is beneficial for immigrants but to a lesser extent than for natives in the United States. The difference in the union wage mark-up between natives and immigrants is most pronounced for males and low-skilled blue-collar workers.

AB - Using data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) for 1995–2023, we show that unionized immigrants earn 10.1 log points less than unionized natives, of which 4.8 log points are due to a lower union wage mark-up. Therefore, unionization is beneficial for immigrants but to a lesser extent than for natives in the United States. The difference in the union wage mark-up between natives and immigrants is most pronounced for males and low-skilled blue-collar workers.

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The Union Wage Mark-Up for Immigrants in the United States

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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