IAMAW Woodwooders District 2

WOODWORKERS DISTRICT W2

A district lodge of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers

WHY JOIN A UNION?

What is a union and why would I want to join one?

union members earn higher wages than non-union members

Unions are about a simple proposition: By joining together, working women and men gain strength in numbers so they can have a voice at work about what they care about. They negotiate a contract with their employer for things like a fair and safe workplace, better wages, a secure retirement and family-friendly policies such as paid sick leave and scheduling hours. They have a voice in how their jobs get done, creating a more stable, productive workforce that provides better services and products. Always adapting to the challenges of our nation’s evolving workforce, unions are meeting the needs of workers in today’s flexible and nontraditional work environments. Because no matter what type of job workers are in, by building power in unions, they can speak out for fairness for all working people in their communities and create better standards and a strong middle class across the country. Unions help bring workers out of poverty and into the middle class. In fact, in states where workers don’t have union rights, workers’ incomes are lower.

HIGHER PAY
24% higher than non-union workers
PENSIONS
Unionized workers are 60% more likely to have employer-provided pensions.
HEALTH INSURANCE
94% of union workers have jobs that provide health insurance benefits, but only 68% of non-union workers do.
=PAY FOR =WORK
In 2014, women earned 24% more, African Americans 25% more and Latinos 29% more - if they were in a union.

DISTRICT W2 STAFF

The business reps and office staff that keep the district running. Ready to serve you.

MORE ABOUT UNIONS

What is a union? How do they work?

A union is a democratic organization of employees in a workplace who choose to join together to achieve common goals. By forming unions, employees can work collectively to improve working conditions, including wages and benefits, hours and job safety, to resolve disagreements of employees and employers and to find the best ways to get the work done.Unions also represent members and all people who work by advocating working family-friendly laws and policies through legislative and political action. Most people who work in this country have the right to form and join unions under the 1935 National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which encourages union formation.

That sounds terrific!

Working people in America have certain basic legal rights to safe, healthy and fair conditions at work. But many employers—perhaps yours—violate these fundamental rights because they value their profits more than their workers. Collective bargaining is the process in which working people, through their unions, negotiate contracts with their employers to determine their terms of employment, including pay, benefits, hours, leave, job health and safety policies, ways to balance work and family and more. Collective bargaining is a way to solve workplace problems because it puts most of the “gray” areas into black and white solutions and procedures and outlines the indisputable consequences for breaking agreed upon policies.

Seems straight forward.

Today, more people are taking the step to form unions on the job than at any time in recent history. Joining with your colleagues in a union at your workplace offers many benefits. Your union brings together the collective strength of you and your co-workers to insure meaningful negotiations with management for an equitable contract. Negotiations are not limited to only wages and salaries, but can also include staffing and overtime, safety and health, cost of living raises, provisions for continuing education, adequate pensions, vacations, equitable promotion systems and transfer policies, and a workable grievance system. Through your union, you and your co-workers oversee carrying out the provisions of the contract. If you do not have a union at your job, the staff at District W2 can help you find out more about how to form one.

Let’s get started!