A Look at How Unions Lift Workers

[Midnight Writer]

1. I had a string of non-union jobs and one union job. The union job lasted 32 years.

Better pay than most folks in my area, paid vacation time, paid sick leave, health insurance, life insurance, 401k with employer match, a safety committee made up of employees and management, plus the right to file a grievance and get representation if I get screwed over on the job.

I'm not well educated and had little experience in the field, but the union trained me and I got really good at my job. I was on a dead-end path and didn't have a pot to piss in. The union turned me into a very productive worker and I was able to retire with a pension and to keep my health insurance (though I now pay half the premium), own a home free of a mortgage, and am confident that my retirement will be comfortable, though not lavish.

I don't know where I would be today without that union job. If you can join a union, do it.