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Union? YES!!
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(Information compiled from the AFL-CIO
website) |
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Union members earn 26 percent more than their nonunion counterparts.
51
percent of companies threaten to close the plant if the union
wins the election, however, less than 1 percent ever actually do that. |
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The 10 states where unions are strongest have higher earnings, better
health coverage, less crime, more civic participation, less poverty and
better schools than the 10 states where union membership is lowest. |
That is why
more and more of America’s workers want union jobs or wants a union where they
work. More than 42 million nonunion workers say they want to join
a union. However, employers often harass and intimidate workers when they join
together to form their union. That is wrong, often illegal and most definitely a
violation of the human rights of those workers. Independent research shows that,
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25
percent of employers illegally fire at least one worker for union
activity during organizing campaigns. |
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75 percent of employers hire union-busters to fight union organizing.
More than 75 percent of union workers have health benefits.
Less
than half of nonunion workers have health coverage. |
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78
percent of employers force employees to attend one-on-one meetings with their own supervisors against the union.
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52
percent of employers threaten to call the Immigration and Naturalization
Service during organizing that includes undocumented workers.
Nearly 70 percent of union workers have a pension. Only 14 percent of
nonunion workers have one.
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Unions 101:
A Quick Study of How Unions Help Workers Win on the Job
(Information
compiled from the AFL-CIO website)
What is a union?
A union is a group of workers who forms an organization to gain:
Respect on the job;
Better wages and benefits;
more flexibility for work and family needs;
a counterbalance to the unchecked power of employers;
a voice in improving the quality of their products and services.
How do people form a union?
When workers decide they want to come together to improve their jobs, they call
upon a union to help them form their own local chapter. After a majority of
workers shows they want a union, employers sometimes honor the workers’ choice.
Often, the workers must ask the government (through the National Labor Relations
Board) 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.
Does the law protect workers joining unions?
Technically yes—but too often it doesn’t. Under the NLRA, employers are not
allowed to discriminate against or fire workers for choosing to join a union.
For example, it’s illegal for employers to threaten to shut down their
businesses, fire employees or take away benefits if workers form a union.
However, employers routinely violate these laws, and the penalties can be weak,
sometimes nonexistent.
What kinds of workers are forming unions today?
A wider range of people than ever before, including but not limited to: doctors,
nurses, poultry workers, graduate employees, home health care aides, wireless
communications workers, auto parts workers and engineers.
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, weekly earnings for full-time
union wage and salary workers were approximately $740, compared to $587 for
their nonunion counterparts. Unions continue to lead the fight for better lives
for working people, such as expanded family and medical leave (FMLA), improved
safety and health protection and fair-trade agreements that lift the standard of
living for workers all over the world. If you are making above minimum wage, you
can thank unions for this benefit.
What have unions accomplished for all workers?
Unions have made life better for all of America’s workers by helping to pass
laws ending child labor, establishing the eight-hour day, protecting workers’
health and safety and helping to create Social Security, unemployment insurance
and the minimum wage.
What
challenges do workers face today when they want to form unions?
Today, millions of workers want to join unions. The wisest of employers
understand when workers form unions, their companies also benefit. But most
employers fight workers’ efforts for a stronger voice at the workplace by
intimidating, harassing and threatening employees. In response, workers are
reaching out to their communities for help exercising their freedom to improve
their lives.
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