Organizing

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.

Line graph showing inflation rates in the U.S. from 2004 to 2024, with pink line for US inflation, blue line for core inflation, and orange for CPI inflation.

A infographic with four sections titled 'Higher Wages', 'Better Benefits', 'Safer Workspace', and 'Voice on the Job'. Each section contains a brief statement about workplace improvement benefits.

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.

Chart comparing various statistics between people in union and not in union, including health insurance coverage, median weekly earnings, retirement savings, paid sick leave, and wages of specific groups such as Latino and Asian American workers.

See Our Wins: Empowering Workers, Achieving Results!

WANT TO BECOME A UNION MEMBER?

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 One: KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

Private Sector Workers

Public Employees

Airline & Railroad Workers

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, call the Labor Council at (619)228-8101 or fill out the form found at the button below, we can help you select a union.

Unionize

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 or fill out the form found at the button below.

Unionize