Page 5 - Work Force September 2018

We know it’s Better to Be Union
cseany.org
September 2018 • Vol. 21, No. 8
Union
Strong
See pages 5-8
Anti-union groups are trying to trick our members into giving up their rights, but we are sticking together.
We must all do our part
to protect our rights and protections. A great way to start is to stay a union member and urge your co-workers who are non-members to join our union.
Our members earn more, have better benefits, more paid time off and more job protections than non-union workers in similar job titles.
Here are few examples of why it’s Better to Be Union (source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics):
• Higher wages: Union members earn 27 percent
more than non-union
members.
• Health Insurance: 94
percent of union members have access to employer- sponsored health insurance, as opposed to 67 percent of non-union members.
• Retirement: 94 percent of union members have access to employer- sponsored pensions as opposed to 66 percent of non-union members.
• Paid Time Off: 84 percent of union members have access to paid time off, as opposed to 77 percent of non-union members.
These numbers illustrate what we’ve known for years — that unions provide a path out of poverty.
An Economic Policy Institute study noted that when unions are strong, they often lead to improved pay and benefits
for non-union workers, particularly in states with higher union density such as New
York. Specifically, non-union employers have often raised their own standards of pay and benefits to attract a qualified workforce.
By sticking together and staying union, we can not only make our union stronger, but lift our communities.
On the cover, Oyster Bay Local 3rd Vice President Guadalupe Johnson and Treasurer Kathy Law, right, explain the many reasons why re-signing a union application offers added security in the workplace. From left, Johnson, Christopher J. Madden and Law.
September 2018
The Work Force 5
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Photo by Wendi Bowie