A union makes a difference in every paycheck.

The average wage for a union-represented construction worker is $20.60, compared with $13.30 for a construction worker without a union, according to the Current Population Survey.

In some sectors, the advantage is even greater. For example, a heavy-highway LIUNA worker averages $25.47 an hour in wages and benefits, compared to $13.72 for heavy-highway workers not in a union, according to Engineering News Record’s Construction Economics Department.

Also, joining together in a union helps neutralize pay discrimination. The most recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that union construction workers who are women enjoy a 70 percent pay advantage. Hispanics enjoy a 64 percent pay advantage, and for all other minorities the advantage is 42 percent.