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Being a Union Member Makes a Big Difference

Together we are winning higher pay, better benefits, job security, and a retirement we can count on.

As union members, we have a say in the important decisions that affect our jobs and because we have a voice, we do significantly better than people who aren’t part of a union. 

Because we are united in a union, we can negotiate with our employers for better pay, health benefits, paid time off, retirement security, job security, and many other critical issues. The result is that we make significant improvements in our overall compensation and working conditions and these gains are protected by the union contract we have with our employer. 

Without a union, the employer makes all these decisions without any input from the people getting the work done on the frontlines. So it’s no wonder that workers without a union earn less and have fewer benefits than those of us who are union members.

Here are just a few recent examples of how SEIU members have changed their families’ lives by sticking together:

  • SEIU members who work in New York and New Jersey airports as cleaners, baggage handlers, and security officers won $19 an hour–the highest minimum wage in the country. 
  • People who provide home care in Washington state to seniors and adults and children with disabilities won 8% wage increases in their latest union contract, so now their minimum hourly wage will be at least $16.75. Caregivers also won an increase to their retirement fund, the first of its kind in the nation for people who provide in-home care.  In San Francisco, home care providers won wages of $18.75 per hour, which set a new standard for people in the profession.  
  • Adjunct faculty at Fordham University won incredible raises – between 67-90% – in their first union contract and adjunct faculty at Loyola University Chicago won 51% raises in their first contract.
  • SEIU member nurses who work at county facilities in Los Angeles won raises plus better patient-to-staff ratios so they can do their best for the people in their care.
  • Chicago window washers won $26 in their recent union contract and doubled their life insurance, an important win for the very dangerous work they do.
  • Healthcare providers in hospitals, clinics, and doctor’s offices at Dignity Health in California won 13% raises, fully-paid healthcare, bonuses, fully-paid retirement, and a training fund for frontline workers.