PROGRESSIVE PLAYBOOK > WORKER POWER

CORE MESSAGE

Whether we are Black or white, young or old, in big cities or small towns, we work hard for our families and our future. Everyone deserves safe jobs, family-sustaining wages, and time to spend with our loved ones. But far too many of us are still living paycheck to paycheck while greedy corporations try to divide us, hoping we’ll look the other way while they steal the profits from our hard work. By joining together in a union and putting power in workers’ hands, every one of us can care for our families, earn a fair return on our work, and make our voices heard and our rights respected.

Over the past two years, workers across the country have overcome tremendous hurdles to fight for their voice at work—and won. President Biden has taken important steps to protect them from COVID-19, raised the wage for federal contractors, and more—but there is still work to do. When workers can bargain together, we can win safer workplaces, higher wages, and better benefits for all our families.

WATCH IT IN ACTION

NEXT: POLLING + WORDS THAT WORK ↓

POLLING + Fast Facts

AMERICANS WANT MORE VOICE IN THEIR WORKPLACE

69% of people surveyed said working people have too little power, including over three-quarters of Democrats and nearly 6 in 10 Republicans. 59% of all respondents agreed with the idea that “workers need more say in how businesses are run.”

AMERICANS SUPPORT RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE

78% of voters support eliminating the racist tipped minimum wage and 68% support a $15 minimum wage, including over two-thirds support in battleground districts.

WORKING PEOPLE WANT UNIONS AND A SAY AT WORK

When people have their voices heard at work and can bargain collectively, we improve wages and conditions for all. More than half of working people say they’d join a union if they could.

UNIONS MEAN BETTER JOBS

On average, union workers’ wages are 11.2% higher than their nonunion counterparts, especially for women and people of color. Black and Hispanic workers get a larger boost from unionization. Black workers represented by a union are paid 13.7% more than their nonunionized peers. Hispanic workers represented by unions are paid 20.1% more than their nonunionized peers.

BUT WE ARE DENIED THE RIGHT TO BARGAIN COLLECTIVELY

Over the last 40 years, corporations and politicians have intentionally and relentlessly attacked working people’s right to join together in union. Membership now is less than half of what it once was.

Words that Work

“Coming together in union” or “joining together in union” or “unions of working people” or “we must protect our freedom to join together in union.”

The working people who stocked our grocery stores and nursed the sick put their lives on the line to get us through the pandemic. But big corporations just raised prices while they raked in record profits. We need to build an economy that puts people over profits.

We need to join together in union to demand that people who work for a living can earn a good living, just like we won safer workplaces and civil rights in our past.

By joining together, we make a future where we all get a fair return on our work.

We need to come together and fight for laws that protect our dignity and safety at work, like protecting our right to join together in union, getting working people on corporate boards, stopping wage theft, ending discrimination and harassment, and ensuring that working people have paid sick and family leave.

Everyone should get a fair return for the hours we put in and the profits we create. But today’s subminimum wage for people expected to earn the rest of their pay in tips, including in restaurants, means we can’t make ends meet no matter our efforts.

Real freedom is about more than making a living; it’s also about having time to take a loved one to the doctor, attend a parent-teacher conference or retire in dignity. We must protect our freedom to join together in union.

NEXT: TOOLS + RESOURCES ↓

Tools + Resources

For more information, we have included the following additional resources below. These resources do not necessarily reflect the policy positions of the Progressive Caucus Action Fund.