UNIONS 101

A Quick Study of How Unions Help Workers Win a

W hat is a union?

A union is a group of w orkers who form an organization to win: Respect on the job; Better wages and benefits; More flexibility for w ork and family needs; A counter-balance to the unchecked power of employers; and A voice in improving the quality of their products and services.
H o w do people fo rm a union?

leave, improved safety and health protections and fair trade agree ments that lift the standard of liv ing for workers all over the world
W hat have unions a c co m plished fo r all w o rk e rs?

W h a t kinds off w o rk e rs are fo rm in g unions today?

W hen w orkers decide they w ant to come together to improve their jobs, they contact a union to help guide their organizing efforts to jo in a union. Once a m ajority of w orkers show they w ant a union, sometim es employers honor the workers choice. Often, the workers m ust ask the governm ent to hold an election. If the w orkers win their union, they negotiate a contract with the employer that spells out each party rights and responsibilities in s the workplace.
D oes th e la w p ro te ct w o rk e rs jo in in g unions?

A wider range of people than ever before, including m any wom en and im m igrants, are building unions doctors and nurses, poultry workers and graduate employees, hom e health care aides and wireless com m unications workers, auto parts w orkers and engi neers, to nam e a few.
H o w do unions help w o rk in g fam ilies today?

Unions have m ade life better for all w orking Americans by help ing to pass laws ending child labor, establishing the eighth our day, protecting workers safety and health and helping create Social Security, unem ploym ent insurance and the m inim um wage.
W ha t challenges face w o rk e rs today?

Yes. U nder the law, w hich supports free dom of association, employers are not allowed to discrim inate against or fire workers for choosing to jo in a union. For example, it illegal for employers to s threaten to shut dow n their businesses or to lay off employees or take away benefits if w orkers form a union.

Through unions, workers win better wages, benefits and a voice on the job and good union jobs m ean stronger comm unities. U nion workers earn 28 percent more than nonunion w orkers and are more likely to receive health care and pension benefits than those w ithout a union. In 2000, union m em bers m edian weekly earnings for full-time wage and salary were $696, com pared w ith $542 for their nonunion counterparts. Unions lead the fight today for better lives for w orking people, such as through expanded family and medical

Today, thousands of workers w ant to join unions. The wisest employers understand that w hen w orkers form unions, their companies also benefit. But m any other employers fight w ork ers efforts to come together by intim i dating, harassing and threatening them. In response, w orkers are reaching out tc their com m unities to help them exercis< their freedom to improve their lives.
W h a t about w o rk e rs in o ther countries?

Unions fight to ensure that corporations and governments around the world respect a ll workers fundamental rights to Come together and negotiate w ith employers; Refuse forced labor; Reject child labor; and W ork free from discrim ination.