What are some of the benefits workers have achieved as a result of unions?

It is good for the economy and good for American democracy when workers join together in unions, despite the claims of some conservatives who are waging a campaign to block important legislation that would make it easier to join a union.

Only 12 percent of American workers are currently represented by unions, and those who attempt to unionize face an uphill battle. The Employee Free Choice Act, which is likely to be one of the most important issues debated when the 111th Congress starts in January, holds the promise of restoring workplace democracy for workers attempting to organize, boosting unionization rates, and improving the economic standing and workplace conditions for millions of American workers.

The bill has previously passed the House and received majority support in the Senate, though the opposition of a few conservatives in the Senate has prevented the bill’s final passage. Yet next year the bill has a very strong chance of becoming law due to the election of several progressive senators in November and President-elect Barack Obama’s promises of support.

Consider these facts:

Unions are good for all workers. They improve wages, benefits, and working conditions, and helped create the middle class.

• Unions raise wages for all workers. Unions paved the way to the middle class for millions of workers and pioneered benefits along the way, including paid health care and pensions. Even today, union workers earn significantly more on average than non-union counterparts and union employers are more likely to provide benefits. Workers in low-wage industries, women, African-American, and Latino workers have higher wages in unionized workplaces. Even non-union workers—particularly in highly unionized industries—receive financial benefits from employers who increase wages to match what unions would win in order to avoid unionization.
• Without unions, fewer workers get ahead. Shrinking union membership hurts all Americans. Corporations rather than workers are increasingly rewarded for growth in the economy. Long before the current financial crisis began, working families were struggling to make ends meet. American productivity has expanded by nearly 16 percent since 2001, but most of that economic boom bypassed workers, and real wages have remained flat. Corporate profits have meanwhile doubled since 2001, according to Moody economist Mark Zandi. Not since the 1920s has the link between economic growth and the well-being of the middle class been so tenuous. Labor’s decline squeezes the middle class, raises inequality, and undermines democratic values.

Unions are good for the economy. They can help foster a competitive high-wage, high-productivity economic strategy.

• Higher wages are competitive. Critics argue that union wages are too high and make it hard for American employers to compete globally. Yet competitiveness is also linked to productivity, quality, and innovation—all of which can be enhanced with higher wages. Henry Ford found in 1914 that paying employees $5 per day—double the auto industry’s prevailing wage—reduced turnover, allowing him to cut the price of the Model T and increase profits significantly. Ford commented that the $5 day was one of the finest cost-cutting moves we ever made.
• Unionization and high worker productivity often go hand-in-hand. Fairness on the job and wages that reflect marketplace success contribute to more motivated workers. Given the pressures of globalization and competitiveness today, unions have been responsive to increasing productivity and embracing new innovations. In the retail world, labor costs in 2005 for partially unionized retailer Costco were 40 percent higher than Sam’s Club, but Costco produced almost double the operating profit per hourly employee in the United States—$21,805 per employee versus $11,615 per employee.

Unions are good for democracy. They give workers a voice on the job and in politics, and have been essential to the passage of some of the most important legislation of the past 100 years.

• Unions improve communication between workers and managers. Unions give workers a voice on the job and improve communication between workers and management. Without unions, day-to-day competitive pressures leave quitting as the only option for workers to address serious problems—an expensive solution for all concerned.
• Unions have helped pass important legislation that helps all Americans. In the political arena, unions have pressed for improved minimum wages, health care coverage, retirement plan protections, overtime pay, and social security. When workers are able to join together in a democracy, the voice of workers can help balance out the power of business interests.
• Unions foster political participation. Unions are democratic membership organizations and foster the political participation of their members. They educate their members about the political process and train them how to work together for a common goal.

The Employee Free Choice Act is necessary to restore workers’ rights, boost the wages and benefits of Americans, and strengthen our economy. Passing the bill would help restore workplace democracy for workers attempting to organize, boost unionization rates, and improve the economic standing and workplace conditions for millions of American workers.

What are five benefits of being a member of a worker union?

What are 4 advantages of unions?

What are the main benefits of being a union member today quizlet?

What is the benefit to employees who are members of a labor union quizlet?