Labor Day, along with providing a day off for many employees, also generally produces some interesting reading on labor issues. This year was no exception. Diana Furchtgott-Roth, responding to the Labor Day drivel of Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, revealed the misuse of data Perez attempted to use to propagate the myth that union employees “make more money.” It’s a good read for understanding basic labor economics and data “sleight-of-hand.” A new Gallup poll indicates that non-union employees are more happy with their work environment than union members. According to the report, “Employed Americans who report being members of labor unions are significantly less likely than nonunion employees to say they are ‘completely satisfied’ with six of 13 job aspects.” 
To be fair, and as described by Furchtgott-Roth in the article mentioned above, data can be misleading. Safety was one of the key factors used in the Gallop survey, and Gallop asserts that some of the difference could be attributed to the fact that unionized employees are more likely to be in either low-skilled or more dangerous jobs. Either way, unions cannot claim their members are happier in their jobs than non-union workers.
