Unions 101

Why do I need a union? Union members earn better wages and benefits than workers who aren’t union members. On average, union workers’ wages are 30 percent higher than their nonunion counterparts. While only 14 percent of nonunion workers have guaranteed pensions, fully 68 percent of union workers do. More than 97 percent of union workers have jobs that provide health insurance benefits, but only 85 percent of nonunion workers do. Unions help employers create a more stable, productive workforce—where workers have a say in improving their jobs.

How do workers 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. In Oregon, public employees may form a union through a process called “majority sign-up.” Majority sign-up requires that the employer recognize the union if a majority of workers sign cards authorizing the union to represent them. No matter how the union organizing effort is achieved, 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. Learn more>>

Does the law protect workers forming unions? It’s supposed to—but too often it doesn’t. Under the law, employers are not allowed to discriminate against or fire workers for choosing to form or join a union. For example, it’s illegal for employers to threaten to shut down their businesses or to fire employees or take away benefits if workers form a union. But, when faced with organizing campaigns: 25 percent of employers illegally fire pro-union workers; more than half of employers illegally threaten to close down worksites if the union prevails and 80 percent of employees are forced to attend mandatory, anti-union meetings led by their bosses. And when employers violate these laws the penalties are often weak or nonexistent. What kinds of workers are forming unions today?

A wider range of people than ever before, including many women and immigrants,are joining unions—doctors and nurses, poultry workers and graduate employees, home health care aides and wireless communications workers, auto parts workers and engineers—just to name a few.

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 30 percent more than nonunion workers and are more likely to receive health care and pension benefits than those without a union. In 2005, median weekly earnings for full-time union wage and salary workers were $833, compared with $642 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 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.

What challenges do workers face today when they want to form unions? Today, more than half of all U.S. workers would join a union if they could. The wisest employers understand that when workers form unions, their companies also benefit. But most employers fight workers’ efforts to come together by intimidating, harassing and threatening them. In response, workers are reaching out to their communities for help exercising their freedom to improve their lives and live the American Dream.