Unions, Political Activity

Unions are associations of wage earners who work together to maintain and improve the economic, social, and political conditions that affect them. Unions offer a collective voice on jobs, on government, on candidates, on political issues, and on community and global economy. The National Relations Act of 1935 gave most U.S. workers the right to join or to form unions. Union membership is voluntary, and most people join unions for the collective bargaining power they provide. In fact, it is estimated that union members earn on average 28% more than their non-union counterparts.

In the United States, over 16.1 million individuals are members of labor unions. Although there are numerous large union groups (United Steelworkers of America, the United Auto Workers, the Teamsters Union, and so ...