New data reveals how unions benefit communities, consumers, employers, and employees
As the assault on workers’ rights reaches a fever pitch, positive messages about unions are few and far between. To push back against this trend, American Rights at Work Education Fund has produced and funded five new reports revealing that the benefits of workers’ collective action extend far beyond themselves—and even beyond their workplace. Topline findings from these reports have been compiled in our latest release, Beyond the Weekend.
Key findings featured in this new publication include the following:
- Frontline union healthcare workers are collaborating with hospital administrators to find real solutions that improve patient care and control costs.
- Partnerships between union-represented teachers and school administrators are boosting student achievement in schools that serve disadvantaged families.
- Union members’ pensions are funding public and private projects that create good American jobs.
- Building trades unions are partnering with community groups to create new career paths for veterans, workers of color, and women.
- Childcare providers are gaining new skills and resources through their unions to improve how they care for children of low-income families.
Whether through funding development projects that produce good jobs, operating effective training programs, or controlling healthcare costs, it’s clear from this research that when employees have a voice on the job, they improve more than their own working conditions.
While these reports make evident the critical role unions play in today’s society, they only scratch the surface. American Rights at Work Education Fund will continue to produce research examining the far-reaching impact of collective bargaining.
