Why We Need Labor Unions in Our Community

By John Spiegelhoff and Dale Moerke

What exactly is a Labor Union and why should I care about them? If you would ask a random person on the street you would get probably some interesting answers.

Here is one textbook definition of a Labor Union: An association, combination, or organization of employees who band together to secure favorable wages, improved working conditions, and better work hours.

But a Labor Union is much more than a textbook definition. Union members are your family members and your neighbors. They live in the same community as you. Union members are teachers, nurses, highway workers, factory workers and courthouse workers just to name a few. And these very same people, who are in a labor union, also go to church with you, coach your children and are involved in your community.

When people band together to secure favorable wages, we as a community all benefit. Small business owners benefit because there is more demand for their products or services. Unionized workplaces help raise the wages for other workers in the community. Unions are an economic stimulus and communities thrive because of them.

Unions built the middle class and secured the eight-hour work day, the weekend and minimum wage. They helped to abolish child labor and secured workplace protection from unsafe working conditions. All of us have benefited from Labor Unions both in the past and to this day. Keep our community strong and vibrant. Support the hard working men and women who proudly call themselves union members.

 

On Behalf of the Southwest Central Labor Council Representing the Following AFL-CIO Affiliated Unions:

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees

United Food and Commercial Workers

Education Minnesota

International Machinist and Aerospace Workers

Operating Engineers Local 49

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