A labor or trade union is an organization of workers dedicated to protecting members' interests and improving wages, hours and working conditions for all.
No matter what you do for a living, there's a union with members who do the same thing. Unions represent:
- Mechanics
- Teachers
- Factory workers
- Office workers
- Actors
- Musicians
- Police officers
- Construction workers
- Airline pilots
- Janitors
- Plumbers
- Doctors
- Pharmacists
- IT/computer professionals
- Government workers at all levels
- Engineers
- Writers
- Nurses
- And many more types of workers
Did you know there are more than 60 national/international unions that represent millions of workers across America and Canada? See a list of AFL-CIO-affiliated unions here and a list of Change-to-Win unions here.
Unions work to make America strong
Unions work like a democracy. They hold elections for officers who make decisions on behalf of members, giving workers more power on the job.
A local union is a locally-based group of workers with a charter from a national or international union such as the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) or United Auto Workers (UAW). A local may include workers from the same company or region. It may also have workers from the same business sector, employed by different companies.
How to form a union:
- It starts with the formation of a bargaining unit, a group represented by a union for dealing with an employer.
- It is legal for employers to try to persuade employees not to unionize. However, it is illegal for an employer to prevent employees from unionizing through threats, violence and other coercive action.
- An employer is required by law to bargain in good faith with a union, although an employer is not required to agree to any particular terms. Once an agreement is reached through negotiations, a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is signed.
- After a CBA is signed, an employer can't change the details of the agreement without the union representative's approval. The CBA lasts for a set period of time with the union monitoring to assure the employer abides by the contract. To learn more about collective bargaining and how unions work, visit CollectiveBargainingFacts.com.
- As with many other organizations, union costs are paid by member dues that typically cost about $50 a month. Most unions have paid staff to manage their operations. While some staff may be paid by union dues, members also often volunteer.
Everyday benefits to help working families
The collective buying power of union members is also used by Union Privilege to negotiate consumer benefit programs for working families.
Union Plus benefits and discounts are for union members and Working America members. Benefits include everything from financial services and legal services to discounts on AT&T wireless, travel, car rentals, flowers, entertainment and more.
Benefits also include unique assistance for workers facing financial hardship due to disability, layoff, strike and more.
NOTE: No union dues money goes into the development or operation of any Union Plus program.