Union membership rose by more than 265,000 in 1999 – the largest annual increase in 20 years. The number of union members in the United States rose from 16.21 million to 16.48 million last year and the percentage of U.S. workers who belong to unions remained steady at 13.9 percent, reversing a trend of decline.

Much of the membership growth has been in the increase in the number of workers forming unions in recent years as unions have committed greater energy and resources to helping workers gain a voice at work.

Some statistics from the AFL-CIO on the Union Difference:

• Unions Workers Have Better Health Care and Pensions
   
• Union Pay is Higher in Nearly All Occupational Groups
   
• Unions Are Important for Women
  Download a flier on women and unions.
   
• Unions Are Important for Minorities
  Download a flier on unions and African Americans.
  Download a flier on unions and Latinos.
  Download a flier on unions and Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.
   
• Unions Raise Wages—Especially for Minorities and Women
   
• How Unions Help Bring Low-Wage Workers Out of Poverty
   
• Workers’ Incomes are Lower in States Where Workers Don’t Have Union Rights 
   
• Union Workers Have Greater Job Stability
   
• Unions Are Good for Productivity

Nobody ever gave working people anything. We’ve fought for and earned everything we’ve won. In the 21st century, even more than in the 20th, the Labor Movement is the workingmen and women’s best champion in the fight for respect and a fair deal.

Here are a few things that working men and women have forced from the bosses by working together:

• The 40-hour week
• The 8-hour day
• Overtime
• Sick leave
• Paid vacations and holidays
• Employer paid health insurance
• Pensions
• Safety and Health protections
• Grievance procedures for wrongful discharges
• Fairness in promotions and assignments
• Higher wages

There are assurances you can’t hang a price tag on: dignity, respect, a real say in what happens on our jobs and better opportunity for our families.