What does it mean to be in a union?
Unions provide the opportunity for working women and men to join together for a voice at work so that they can collectively address the things they care about. Respect, fairness, professional development and training and input in workplace processes are reasons people join their union.
Unionized workers have the ability to negotiate a contract with their employers. They have a voice in how their jobs get done, creating a more stable, productive workforce that provides better services and products.
What is collective bargaining?
Collective bargaining is the process in which working people come together as a union to negotiate with their employer the terms of employment. Collective bargaining is a way to solve workplace problems.
The employees and the employer sit down to negotiate pay, benefits, hours, leave, job health and safety policies, ways to balance work and family and more.
What’s the union difference?
Workers without unions don’t have the ability to negotiate wages or benefits. Without a union, workers aren’t guaranteed wage increases or paid benefit. They receive what the employer is willing to give and sometimes that is nothing.
Union members earn better wages and benefits than workers who aren’t union members. On average, union workers’ wages are 28 percent higher than their nonunion counterparts.
Only 19 percent of nonunion workers have guaranteed pensions, 78 percent of union workers do.
What about union dues?
Union members work and pay to improve standards and working conditions of state employees in Maryland. When union members negotiate wages, benefits and fair treatment, they negotiate for all state employees, not just union members. Negotiations, representation and advocacy of pro-worker state legislation are costly in terms of resources including money, research and time.
For example, when the State of Maryland mandated furlough days for employees, union members negotiated financial compensation for all state employees, not just members.
Being Union..... Being Involved..... Makes a Difference!
Maryland Professional Employees Council
7127 Rutherford Road
Windsor Mill, MD 21244-2754
(410) 645-3062
http://mpec.md.aft.org