Strong unions, stronger communities

Across the country, Americans are working longer hours for less money and fewer benefits, despite being more productive than ever. No matter how hard people work, many are finding it more and more difficult to get by and provide for their families, much less take a day off when they are sick or save for retirement. All the while, a handful of CEOs and those who are already rich have seen their salaries and wealth skyrocket.

This is not by accident. Big corporations and the wealthy—along with the politicians who do their bidding—have rigged our economy and our political system against working people.

However, when working people have the freedom to join strong unions and negotiate a fair return for their work, they have the power to help everyone succeed – whether or not they belong to a union. Through collective bargaining, union members are scoring victories that help entire communities – like safer nurse staffing levels that help patients and smaller classroom sizes that help students. Together with community partners, unions are also using their collective voice to advocate for policies that benefit all working people – like affordable healthcare and great public schools.

Put simply: When unions are strong, communities are stronger.

This report looks at numerous case studies where members of labor unions have used their freedom to join strong unions and collective voice to fight for improvements that benefit all working families in communities throughout America.