Union Basics

A union is a group of workers who join together to form an organization for the purpose of gaining:

• Equality and respect on the job;
• Better wages and benefits;
• More flexibility for work and family needs;
• A counter-balance to the unchecked power of employers; and
• A voice in improving the quality of their products, services and work life.

When workers unite, they can win better wages, benefits, and a voice on the job through collective bargaining. Good union jobs also mean stronger communities. Unions continue to lead the fight today for better lives for working people, such as through expanded family and medical leave, improved safety and health protections, and fair trade agreements that lift the standard of living for workers all over the world.

Unions have also made life better for all working Americans by helping to pass laws ending child labor, establishing the eight hour work day, protecting worker's safety and health, and helping create Social Security, unemployment insurance and the minimum wage. So even if you have never been a union member, you have already benefited from some of organized labor's efforts.

A wider range of people than ever before, including many women and immigrants, are building unions today. Doctors and nurses, poultry workers and graduate employees, home health care aides and wireless communications workers, cable television technicians and service reps, auto parts workers and engineers, are just a few of the professions that are seeking a voice in their workplace through union representation.

In today's uncertain economy, having a union and the right to bargain collectively with your employer is more important than ever before.