ANALYSIS: Union Contracts Are Giving What Workers Want—More Cash

Want proof that unions are prevailing at the bargaining table, not just the ballot box? Look no further than the lump-sum cash bonuses loaded into labor contracts in the first quarter.

When unionized employers give their workers signing bonuses or other one-time payments, it’s often in lieu of costlier, compoundable annual percentage increases. But that’s not what’s happening here. Sixty of the 182 union contracts in Q1 analyzed by Bloomberg Law provided for some type of lump-sum payment, in amounts ranging from $500 to $15,000 per worker. And all but two of those contracts called for a first-year pay ...