FORM A UNION
Unions are about our freedom of speech at work. Smart employers know that unions increase staff retention, streamline workloads, and strengthen local economies. Because when we feel we are supported in our workplaces, there is nothing we can't accomplish when we all recognize what our labor is worth. Thousands of working people—all across the country and in all kinds of jobs—organize unions every year because unions are the best way to secure the things we care about.
When you and your co-workers come together to form a union, you get the right to negotiate with your employer over wages, benefits and working conditions.
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No matter what the industry you are in, or the labor law that covers it, the process for forming a union is similar.
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Get together with your co-workers who may share a common interest in organizing a union.
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Talk to a union organizer in order to strategize and to learn the next steps.
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Talk to your co-workers to build support for the union.
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Show that support through an election or a card-check once you have a strong majority.
Once your union is official, you’ll choose your leaders and negotiate a contract. The process is democratic, and the more inclusive you can be, the stronger your union will be.
Learn more about your rights to engage in union activity.
BENEFITS OF BEING UNION
The union difference is more money in your pockets to buy a home, start a family, pay down student loan debt and save for retirement.
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Better Pay And Benefits
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Union members earn better wages and benefits than workers who aren’t union members. On average, union workers’ wages are 27% higher than their nonunion counterparts.
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More than 79% of union workers have jobs that provide health insurance benefits, but less than half of nonunion workers do.
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Unions help bring more working people into the middle class. In fact, in states where people don’t have union rights, workers’ incomes are lower.
Secure Retirement
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Unionized workers are 60% more likely to have employer-provided pensions.
Productivity
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Unions help employers create a more stable, productive workforce—where workers have a say in improving their jobs.
Unions also provide a voice on the job, which is something that money can't buy.