THE UNION DIFFERENCE IS CLEAR
POWER IN NUMBERS
There are 16 million union members across the country, and over 200,000 working families in San Diego and Imperial Counties.
We are workers in hospitals and nursing homes, auto assembly plants and on construction sites, trains, buses and airplanes. They are security guards, engineers, office workers, musicians, electricians, postal workers, janitors and more.
There is a union for every type of career. There are unions for NFL players, lobstermen and sitcom actors, and many other professions. No matter what profession you are in, you deserve to make ends meet, have a good life and plan for the future.
Health Insurance
People in a union participating in job-provided health insurance: 79%
People without a union participating in job-provided health insurance: 49%
Retirement
People in a union participating in defined-benefit pension plans: 76%
People without a union participating in defined-benefit pension plans: 16%
Paid Sick Leave
People in a union with paid sick leave: 83%
People without a union with paid sick leave: 62%
Median Weekly Earnings
People with a union median weekly earnings: $980
People without a union median weekly earnings: $776
Working Women
Women union member’s median weekly earnings: $928
Women without a union voice median weekly earnings: $697
Black Working People
Black working people in a union median weekly earnings: $800
Black working people without a union median weekly earnings: $617
Latino Working People
Latino working people with a union median weekly earnings: $862
Latino working people without a union median weekly earnings: $586
Asian American Working People
Asian American working people with a union median weekly earnings: $1,094
Asian American working people without a union median weekly earnings: $977
I’M READY
WANT TO BECOME A UNION MEMBER?
Step One: Know Your Rights
Federal and state laws guarantee the right to form unions! Eligible employees* have the right to express their views on unions, to talk with their co-workers about their interest in forming a union, to wear union buttons, to attend union meetings and in many other ways to exercise their constitutional rights to freedom of speech and freedom of association. For more information, click here.
Despite these laws, many employers strongly resist their employees’ efforts to gain a voice at work through unionization. So, before you start talking union where you work, get in touch with a union that will help you organize.
* Supervisors and a few other kinds of employees customarily are excluded from coverage. For more information, see specific laws covering your position or contact a union organizer as described below.
Step Two: Find Out Which Union is Right for You
To form a union on the job, you need the backup and hands-on assistance from the union you are seeking to join. If you don’t already know which union is best suited to help you, if you don’t already know which union is best suited to help you, call the Labor Council at 619-228-8101, we can help you select a union.
Step Three: Talk to a Union Organizer
Union organizers assist employees in forming unions on the job to give them the same opportunity for dignity and respect, good wages and decent working conditions that union members already have. To connect with a union organizer, call the Labor Council at 619-228-8101.