Start the New Year off Right by Joining Our Movement
January 06, 2019
Categories:
The Insider
Happy New Year! We are excited for 2019 and the new opportunities it brings to our labor movement. Despite many challenges, we had tremendous success in 2018, and we’re hoping to build on that momentum to achieve even more this year.
That’s where you come in.
As an AFGE member, you have tremendous power over our union’s future. You have the power to help us continue to be a growing union because you know your workplace and coworkers better than anybody else. Your coworkers are more likely to join our movement if the ask comes from you. You have the power, and you may not even realize it.
Here are some tips to get your conversation with your coworkers started:
Here are 9 reasons why everyone needs to join a union NOW:
- Union members earn more than non-union members
Union members have consistently earned more than non-union members. In 2015, for example, union members earned about $200 a week more than those who don’t belong to a union, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s $9,600 more a year. Union members also tend to receive more regular raises than non-union members. - Union members are more likely to have health insurance than non-union members
Union members have employer-provided health insurance and likely receive better coverage than those offered to non-union members. - Union members have more retirement security than non-union members
A secure retirement is one of the main reasons people join a union. Workers want to be able to retire without financial worries after decades of hard work. A secure retirement is a prized benefit for union members. - Union members are more likely to have paid sick leave and paid vacation than non-union members
Employees shouldn’t have to choose between a paycheck and our health or that of our loved ones. That’s why paid leave is one of the great benefits of being a union member. - Union members have better protections against abuses in the workplace
While non-union members are subject to the whims of their managers, union members are protected by a union contract that ensures fair treatment for everyone and there are procedures and protections for filing complaints or disciplinary actions. - Union members are less likely to get injured on the job than non-union members
Union reps ensure employers comply with workplace health and safety laws. Having a union also allows employees to report health and safety hazards without fear of retaliation from the employer. - Union members have better work-life balance than non-union members
Unionized workers tend to have more flexibility than non-union members when it comes to work schedules. Unionized workers are less likely to be forced to work overtime, let alone without pay. - Union members have better job security
Non-union members can get fired any time for any or no reason. If you are a union member, your manager must have a reason to discipline or fire you, and there is a procedure in place to make sure all parties are treated fairly. - Union members are happier than non-union members
According to a recent study, the benefits of being a union member go well beyond decent wages and retirement security. The authors found that “union members are more satisfied with their lives than those who are not members and that the substantive effect of union membership on life satisfaction is large and rivals other common predictors of quality of life.” In other words, unions boost the overall quality of life for their members.
Ask your co-workers to join our movement today!
If you are a federal or D.C. government employee, join with your coworkers and join America’s union today! If you have already joined our union, ask your co-workers to join today!
