A recent report from the Economic Policy Institute found that union members are more likely to receive paid holidays and paid vacation.
Companies tell a lot of lies about what a union is. Don’t believe them. You can find the truth for yourself. Here is the definition of a Labor Union from the Department of Labor: “A labor union is a group of two or more employees who join together to advance common interests such as wages, benefits, schedules and other employment terms and conditions. Joining together – or “acting collectively” – workers represented by unions have a powerful voice that strengthens their ability to negotiate with their employer about their concerns. […] Workers also pursue other enhancements – such as flexible scheduling, protections against harassment and safer working conditions – that improve the quality of jobs and workers’ well-being.” Here are some more facts and stats from the Department of Labor: …
Union workers make more money
People with a union median weekly earnings: $980
People without a union median weekly earnings: $776
Union workers have more paid time off
People in a union with paid sick leave: 83%
People without a union with paid sick leave: 62%
Union workers have better health insurance
People in a union participating in job-provided health insurance: 79%
People without a union participating in job-provided health insurance: 49%
Union workers have more retirement security
People in a union participating in guaranteed (defined-benefit) pension plans: 76%
People without a union participating in guaranteed (defined-benefit) pension plans: 16%
And there’s more. The Economic Policy Institute recently took a close look at what was happening with the some 16 million union members in the U.S. Here’s what they found:
Unions help create work-life balance
Some 87 percent of union workers have access to paid sick days, compared to 69 percent of non-union workers. Roughly 89 percent of private-sector union workers get paid vacation and holidays, compared to roughly 75 percent of non-union private sector workers. More than 1 in 3 union workers get at least a week’s advance notice of their work schedules. Less than 1 in 4 non-union workers are provided the same. Just 22 percent of union workers say they have little or no input in the number of hours they work each week. Meanwhile, nearly half (46%) of non-union workers say they have little or no input in work schedules.
Unions provide workers with training opportunities.
Apprenticeships and on-the-job training opportunities are a hallmark of unions. The Industrial Manufacturing Technicians apprenticeship program, of which the IAM is a partner, provides workers with 260 hours with technical college instructors and 2,700 hours of on-the-job training.
Check out the entire report:
The fact of the matter is: when there are millions and billions of dollars made in profit, workers deserve their fair share. Have you ever thought about how much a billion dollars really is? It’s hard for our minds to comprehend such a large number. Here is an illustration — a million seconds is about 12 days, while a billion seconds is 31 years. You can do the math yourself.