Organizing

The freedom to discuss and form unions is a basic human right in any true democracy.  In 1935, the U.S. government enacted the National Labor Relations Act which stated, “Employees shall have the right to form…labor organizations…to bargain collectively…(and employers may not) interfere with…the exercise of…this right.”  In 1948, the U.S. joined four-fifths of the United Nations' member states to ratify the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which included the right of all people to band together in unions.

Workers form and join unions because there is power in numbers.  As far back as 800 B.C., Aesop stated, "In union, there is strength."  Where unions are strong, employers must bargain collectively to set the terms and conditions of employment for their employees.  The demand for profits must be re-examined as the ultimate goal, and may have to be compromised and/or revised with fairness toward workers.  Unions give each employee a sense of power over his/her future and help to level the "playing field."

How Can Employers Prevent Unions?

When American workers seek to exercise the right to form a union in today's society, they almost always run into a "buzz saw" of employer threats, intimidation and coercion such as:

• Captive audience meetings
• One-on-one meetings with supervisors
• Threats to close or move the workplace if workers vote to unionize
• Hiring professional consultants (union-busters) to coordinate anti-worker campaigns
• Firing workers for union activity

According to Human Rights Watch, the treatment of workers by employers, and the failure of the US government to prevent it, constitutes a serious violation of human rights.  Their report says, “Many workers…are spied on, harassed, pressured, threatened, suspended, fired, deported or otherwise victimized in reprisal for their exercise of the right to choose a union.”  The consequences have been devastation for all of American society.  When collective bargaining is suppressed, wages lag, inequality and poverty grow, race and gender pay gaps widen, society’s safety net is strained, and civic and political participation are undermined.

What Have Unions Done for us?

• 8-hour day
• 5-day work week
• Health Insurance
• Good pensions
• Higher wages
• Job security
• Overtime pay
• Job safety
• Family and medical leave
• Fair treatment for women, people of all ethnic backgrounds, and those with disabilities

Research shows that union members earn 28 percent more than nonunion workers.  But it is important to note that stronger unions raise the living standards, and improve the quality of life, for every worker, union or not!  In the 10 states in which unions are the strongest, there is less poverty, higher household income, more education spending, and better public policy than in the 10 states where unions are weakest.

Unions Encourage Democracy:

Unions encourage voting and other forms of political participation by members and other social groups with common interests.  Political Scientist Benjamin Radcliff estimated that for every 1 percent decline in union membership, there is a corresponding 0.4 percent decline in voter participation.