Why Join a Union?

A union is a group of workers who form an organization to gain:

• 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 and services.

What have unions accomplished for all workers? Unions have made life better for all working Americans by helping to pass laws ending child labor, establishing the eight-hour day, protecting workers’ safety and health and helping create Social Security, unemployment insurance and the minimum wage, for example. Unions are continuing the fight today to improve life for all working families in America.

How do unions help working families today? Through unions, workers win better wages, benefits and a voice on the job—and good union jobs mean stronger communities. Union workers earn 26 percent more than nonunion workers and are more likely to receive health care and pension benefits than those without a union. In 2002, median weekly earnings for full-time union wage and salary workers were $740, compared with $587 for their nonunion counterparts. Unions 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.

What is a Collective Bargaining Agreement? One of the most important responsibilities and functions of a labor union today is the negotiation of Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA's) with the employers for whom their members work. These are the agreements which govern the wages and working conditions of that employment. CBA’s can range from a simple one-page letter of agreement to a complex 100-page document. They can apply to one employer (eg: The San Francisco Symphony) or to a multi-employer group (like the Major Record Labels, all of which are signatory to the National Sound Recording Agreement). CBA’s can cover a single engagement or a multi-year time span.

How do people form a union? When workers decide they want to come together to improve their jobs, they work with a union to help them form their own local chapter. Once a majority of workers shows they want a union, sometimes employers honor the workers’ choice. Often, the workers must ask the government to hold an election. If the workers win their union, they negotiate a contract with the employer that spells out each party’s rights and responsibilities in the workplace.