Labor unions are made
up of working people working together to solve
problems, build stronger workplaces and give
working families a real voice. Unions give
workers a voice at work about safety, security,
pay, benefits—and about the best ways to get the
work done. Union workers earn 28 percent more each
week than nonunion workers and are much more
likely to have health and pension benefits.
Unions give working people a voice in
government. They represent working families before
lawmakers, and make sure politicians never forget
that working families voted them into office.
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Why do people join
unions?
People join unions
so they can work together and bargain together
with their employer. On average, union workers’
wages are 30 percent higher than their nonunion
counterparts and union members also enjoy the
union advantage of better benefits, working
conditions and a voice on the job about how the
work gets done.
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Who joins unions?
Every kind of
worker! Today's unions include manufacturing and
construction workers, teachers, technicians and
doctors—and every type of worker in between. No
matter what you do for a living, there's a union
that has members who do the same thing.
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Are unions still
important to working people today?
Unions are as
important as they ever were—because corporations
are just as dedicated to their bottom line,
regardless of the consequences for workers. The
nature of work in America is changing. Employers
are trying to shed responsibilities—for providing
health insurance, good pension coverage,
reasonable work hours and job safety protections,
for example—while making workers' jobs and incomes
less secure through downsizing, part-timing and
contracting out. Working people need a voice at
work to keep employers from making our jobs look
like they did 100 years ago, with sweatshop
conditions, unlivable wages and 70-hour workweeks.
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.
Call
and talk to an officer today.
Iowa
Watts 800-372-4817
Des
Moines Area 515-262-9571
or
e-mail to ifl@iowaaflcio.org
2000 Walker Street,
Suite A
Iowa
Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
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