According to a new study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, women will be the majority of unionized workers by 2020.

How's an abundance of estrogen changing things? "Because of women, we don't just talk about raising wages, but about creating family friendly workplaces with sick leave, child care, and family and medical leave," said Change to Win Chair and SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger. "We don't just talk about out-of-control insurance costs, but about the fact that women pay more than men strictly because of their gender."

Some of the report's other findings:

Education:

• Nearly 40 percent percent of all union workers have college degrees. Almost half (49.4 percent) of union women had at least a four-year college degree.
  
• More educated workers were more likely to be unionized than less-educated workers, a reversal from 25 years ago.

Public Sector & Growth

• Just under half of all union members come from the public sector, up from just over one-third in 1983.
  
• Union ranks have increased slightly over the past two years, and members now represent 12.4 percent of the nation's work force.

Diversity:

• Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic group in the labor movement.
  
• About one-in-eight (12.6 percent) of union workers is an immigrant, up from one-in-twelve in 1994
  
• In 1983, the majority (51.7 percent) of all union workers was white men; by 2008, white men were only 38.1 percent of the unionized workforce.
  
• The typical union worker was 45 years old, or about 7 years older than in 1983. The most heavily unionized age group was in the age range of 55-64.

"The view that the typical union worker is a white male manufacturing worker may have been correct a quarter of a century ago, but it's not an accurate description of those in today's labor movement," said John Schmitt, a CEPR Senior Economist and an author of the report. Read the study.

When those little ghosts and goblins (or, we're predicting, Michael Jacksons) come collecting on Halloween, make sure you have a full supply of union-made goodies to hand out. No, not our latest flyers on the economic crisis. We mean candies made by union workers.

That includes some of our favorites, such as Jelly Bellies (made in Fairfield), Red Vines, Sunkist Fruit Gel Slices, Sweethearts (those crunchy little hearts with sweet nothings stamped into them), and our guilty favorite -- candy corn! But there's way more than that.

UnionPlus has compiled a list of candy products made by members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM); snack foods by members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW); and fruits and nuts from members of the United Farm Workers of America (UFW). Please support our union brothers and sisters when you shop for Halloween treats this year.

Union-made Halloween Treats: unionplus.org/union-made/halloween-treats

Did you know that in 1965, 95 percent of American clothing was made in USA? Times have changed since then. Just a few decades later, only 5 percent of the clothing worn by Americans is manufactured here in this country.

Don't miss tonight's HBO premier of Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags -- a documentary that tells the unexpected history behind New York's Garment District and a "must see" for anyone who cares about our union and the workers who built it. The documentary includes interviews with Joe Raico, a garment cutter and President of Workers United Local 10, Workers United President Bruce Raynor.

Additionally, the film examines both the path to the American Dream the garment industry offered to thousands of immigrant workers... and the social and economic forces chipping away at the job that once provided entry to the middle class. The documentary depicts the dangers of sweatshops and the fight that union workers led against unsafe conditions in garment factories.

Watch the trailer here:

Check out Workers' United Elana Levin's post on the film at Daily Kos here.

Following the announcement last month from over a dozen national women's organizations in support of the Employee Free Choice Act, women across the country are standing up for the legislation.

Today, Linda Meric, the executive director of 9 to 5, the National Association of Working Women, tells the Denver Post why low-wage women in particular should support the Employee Free Choice Act.

And in Maine, three female workers--a telephone repair technician, a technologies worker, and an electrician-- talk about the benefits they get from being in a union, noting that many who would like to join aren't so lucky:

We were lucky enough to come into jobs that were already union. Millions of workers who would like to form a union and have the same rights and benefits we do are currently denied a fair opportunity by our broken, company-dominated labor law system. When private sector workers try to organize, they regularly face intimidation, harassment and an outdated set of rules that do not protect their right to organize. We want to see our labor laws updated so that workers can freely and fairly form their own organization and their rights are protected.

A recent study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research demonstrated the clear cut union advantage for women.

• Unionization raises the probability of a woman having a pension (24.7 percent) and having employer-provided health insurance (19 percent)
  
• Joining a union raises the amount women workers earn by 11.2 percent more than their non-union peers.
  
• Among women workers in the 15 lowest-paying occupations, the benefits are even greater, with female union members earning 14 percent more than those workers who were not in unions.

A letter from 14 women's organizations in support of Employee Free Choice was sent last month to Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. For a listing of of the organizations involved, click here.

Last week, hundreds of workers gathered together on a blustery day to tell us why we need the Employee Free Choice Act now. They then marched together to Sen. Arlen Specter's office to deliver that same message.

Watch the video above to see what happened next--then go here to tell Sen. Specter what you think.

"Unions and Upward Mobility for Service-Sector Employees," a new report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) shows that nationally, unionization raises service workers' pay 10.1 percent (about $2.00 per hour), compared to non-union service workers, and increases the likelihood that the worker will have health insurance and a pension. Service sector jobs include healthcare and food service workers, housekeepers, janitors and childcare providers.

The vast majority of jobs in this country are now in the service sector, and data from this study demonstrates that service sector workers reap benefits as much from unionization as workers in manufacturing do. In Pennsylvania, for example, more than 77 percent of the workforce is in service-sector jobs, and the unionization rate in those jobs is 14.7 percent. The average wage for unionized workers in the service sector in PA is $19.31, while for non-union members it is $14.27.

The impact of unions in low-wage occupations was even more significant. For workers in the 15 lowest-paying occupations, union membership raised wages by 15.5 percent. The likelihood of having health insurance increased by about 26 percentage points, and the likelihood of having an employer-sponsored pension increased by roughly 23 percentage points.

"Unions give the biggest boost to workers in low-paying occupations because these are the workers that have the least bargaining power in the labor market," said John Schmitt, a Senior Economist at CEPR. "Unionization can turn what would otherwise be low-paying jobs with no benefits into middle-class jobs."

Read the full study here.

Once more, with feeling: Seriously? Really?

Samuel "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher is back, still missing a plumbing license.

That's not stopping him from lecturing actual plumbers -- some of them, I believe, actually named Joe -- about how unions somehow are conspiring to destroy civilization as we know it.

"Joe the Plumber's" argument? That the Employee Free Choice Act is some sort of mortal threat. Except that, when he came face to face with plumbers, they weren't having any of it.

Some of the loudest jeers in the audience were saved just for Samuel. You see, it's hard to lecture people about how things are when they have more license to speak than the speaker himself.

In a new report for the Center for American Progress Action Fund, researchers David Madland and Karla Walter argue that a more-unionized workforce would lead towards a stronger economy for the United States.

According to the report, the key to a sustainable economy is to increase the purchasing power of hard-working Americans - and one way to do that is by passing the Employee Free Choice Act.

"Unions paved the way to the middle class for millions of American workers and pioneered benefits such as paid health care and pensions along the way," say Madland and Walter. "The Employee Free Choice Act...holds the promise of boosting unionization rates and improving millions of Americans' economic standing and workplace conditions."

Their main findings?

• If the number of union workers increased by just 5%, an estimated $49 billion more in wages and salaries would be introduced into the American economy each year.
• Union workers are 28.2% more likely to be covered by employer-provided health insurance.
• 53.9% of union workers are more likely to have employer-based pensions, enabling a financially-secure retirement after years of hard work.

Increasing wages is key to the American economy. Consumer activity "accounts for roughly 70 percent of our nation's economy." Right now, Americans literally don't have the money to spend on goods and services, leading to the vicious cycle that we currently find our economy in.

The report also notes that increasing the percentage of unionized workers also benefits the non-unionized. "Non-union workers, particularly in highly unionized industries," says Madland and Walter, "receive financial benefits from employers who increase wages to match what unions would win" in order to stay competitive.

The report concludes that one of the best ways of achieving this increase in union households is the Employee Free Choice Act:

"Workers attempting to unionize currently face a hostile legal environment and are commonly intimidated by aggressive anti-union employers. The Employee Free Choice Act would help workers who want to join a union do so by ensuring fairness in the union selection process."

Click here to access the state-by-state reports.

A Sign of Hope in Tough Economic Times, More Than 88,000 Workers United in SEIU in 2008 to Improve Their Lives and the Services They Deliver

WASHINGTON, DC--SEIU President Andy Stern issued the following statement regarding today's announcement from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that the percentage of American workers belonging to a union increased for a second consecutive year in 2008:

"More and more American workers are joining together in unions to claim a share in the prosperity they help to create, while working to improve the services they provide.

"Let this be a sign to those who would tell us that 'now is not the time' for workers have a voice at work: you're not fooling anyone. America's working families know that unions are still the best path to economic prosperity for workers in the U.S.

"In 2008, the American people said 'no' to enriching the few at the expense of the many; they expressed outrage at a Republican administration willing to bail out Wall Street with hard-earned tax dollars from Main Street. They elected a new President and Congress who have pledged to restore the America where prosperity is shared and hard work is rewarded.

"Looking ahead in 2009, working people are organizing and fighting for an economic recovery package that keeps people working, creates new jobs, and maintains vital services for our communities; affordable healthcare for all; and protections to ensure workers' right to choose freely whether and how to come together for a voice at work."

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) annual union membership report, released today, shows that the share of workers belonging to a union rose in 2008. This is the largest growth rate on record since the data was first collected in 1983. Growth in SEIU--88,926 members--accounted for nearly 21 percent of the national growth.

As the new administration and Congress works to lift the U.S. economy out of the economic crisis, we've been working on some analyses on how our country has recovered economically since the 1940's.

What we've found isn't much of a surprise, and it makes sense: economic success occurs when rising wages spur consumer spending.

That's exactly what the Employee Free Choice Act is designed to deliver, and the legislation will play a central role in building a strong middle class that will usher in the next era of American economic strength and prosperity.

New research makes a solid case as to why the Employee Free Choice Act would be a "stimulus" that gets our economy back on track. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that if 5 million service workers join unions:

• 5 million workers would get a 22 percent raise on average, or an additional $7,000 a year;
• $34 billion in total new wages would flow into the economy;
• 900,000 jobs would be lifted above the poverty wage for a family of four ($10.22/hr); and
• Between 1.8 million and 3 million dependent children would share in these benefits.
• The economic impact on individuals would be about four times as large as the recent federal minimum wage increase, and allow nearly six times more in new wages to flow into the economy.

We know you feel the economic squeeze - but have you heard of these facts and figures?

• Wages are stagnant. Worker wages have increased just 0.2 percent from March 2001 to September 2008.
• Real median household income was $1,175 less in 2007 than it was in 2000, while each family spent more than $4,600 more for basic expenses (e.g. gas, mortgage, food, and healthcare).
• Faced with this reality, average Americans have taken on increasing debt to maintain living standards.
• Household debt hit record levels in 2007, averaging 129 percent of disposable income.
• Meanwhile, the average CEO pay has risen: CEO pay has skyrocketed from 27 times more than the worker wages in 1973 to 344 times higher today.

In the past, the growth of unions have helped the economy dramatically:

• One-third of all American workers joined unions and shared in economic progress between 1947 and the early 1970s, one of the most prosperous periods in U.S. history.
• Between 1947 and 1973, median family income more than doubled, productivity grew 2.9 percent a year, America's economic output nearly tripled and income inequality declined.

And here's what we know about unionized workers today:

• Workers in unions earn 14 percent higher wages than workers who are not, are 28 percent more likely to have health insurance, and 54 percent more likely to have a pension.
• The economic advantage for workers of color is even greater. African American workers in unions earn 18 percent more than their nonunion counterparts, while Latinos earn 22 percent more.
• Unions help all workers, not just union members, as nonunion employers often attempt to match union pay and benefits to help recruit employees.

And there you have it: a simple economic argument on why the Employee Free Choice Act is vital in today's economy.

You can read about all of our facts and figures in this report below, entitled "Path to Prosperity."

Path to Prosperity