Top Five Reasons to Join a Labor Union

Labor lawOctober 24, 2022

Americans always get together and come under one umbrella to solve issues and make their life better. Whether it’s a parent-teacher association or any local community organization, they form community groups. Through labor unions, people assemble to seek improvements at their workplaces. That’s because they spend a major portion of their days there.

Joining unions and going through negotiating with employers through collective bargaining is a fundamental right for every human living in any corner of the globe. The United States law and constitution protect the rights of its citizens to join a labor union. Various labor unions represent around 16 million workers across America. Get to know the top reasons why you need to sign up with a labor union.

Money

If you observe, companies with a labor union pay their workforce more than those without a union. If you want to be someone from the American middle class, you can surely consider joining a union. A comparison would reveal that union wages are more or less 10 to 20 percent higher than normal or non-union wages.

This is a basic reason why companies don’t favor a labor union. They don’t intend to pay you more than what they usually do. The anti-labor propaganda states that the extra pay is more likely to drown you in union dues and payments every month. That’s a blatant lie and be rest assured about that. Statistics reveal that nothing can be more absurd than this.

Safety

The facilities that you get while being a member of a labor union are, by far, safer than usual non-union facilities. You might hear about the great equalizer in the form of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration or OSHA from those who oppose unions. Please don’t believe them.

At the time of its destruction, OSHA was already remote, over-extended, and had limited staff members. A union contract gives you the right to label a condition as unsafe. If you are talking about comparison, there is none. Union facilities are safer than you can think. A labor union contract is a bilateral and multi-layer contract between an employer and the union. When you are in a contract, it will be easier for you to address several issues and bring them to the notice of the authorities.

Dignity

If you are a non-union worker, you know how hard it is to cope with dictatorial and moody employers. There is always a fear of losing your job or being harassed at work. While the organization can still fire you, they have to do it for the right reasons. That’s because the union protects you from the agony of bearing with rough bosses and they terrorize you time and again!

Remember that administering a union contract needs a greater level of potential and competence. Therefore, the risk of running into an inefficient employer is pretty low in union jobs. The bosses have to behave professionally as they don’t have any other option.

Security

Job security is a major concern for any employee, and it goes without saying. When you are at a union shop, the bosses don’t have the liberty of removing you from your job just because they plan to give it to their people.

Aside from that, if you are a member of a labor union, they wouldn’t be able to snatch your job without a valid reason, demote you just like that, or stop your promotion to any higher position. A union is always there to help you out if any misdeed happens.

Other Benefits

When you are in a union contract, you get several benefits. It includes medical insurance, pensions, holidays, paid vacations, sick pay, personal holidays, and shift differential, along with overtime premiums. These are better in comparison to a non-union job. And that’s because these benefits don’t exist in a union contract. This is another reason why companies do not want to have a labor union in the first place!

Workers at union jobs have better potential than those who are working at companies without a union. Moreover, you can also take part in any activism that your union participates in. The best part of the labor union comes from the fact that the federal labor law recognizes a labor union.