Unions needed

Workers, companies both win

Ibelieve that if you work hard for a living, you should be able to put food on the table, have time off to spend with family, and build a good life for your kids. That’s why this Labor Day, I’m standing with Workers United, the Service Employees International Union, and working people everywhere to say loud and clear: America needs unions.

I’m a tool technician at American

Axle Manufacturing in Subiaco. Our company is American-owned, and I take pride in that. I also take pride that we’re union. Some of our biggest customers are companies like Magna, Mercedes, Audi and Harley Davidson, who do business with us because we’re union. They know that we do excellent work and we’re treated right.

It’s a win-win for everybody. I’ve been doing this work for 21 years. Before I joined Workers United, I had to work 12-hour shifts, seven days a week. We were disrespected. Management could fire people for any reason, or no reason at all.

They knew they had us.

In my town, we have a Sonic and a McDonald’s and just one other facility nearby. There aren’t many manufacturing jobs. There aren’t many good-paying jobs at all. So back before we had a union, people put up with it because they had no other choice.

To millions of working people in Arkansas and across the country, this sounds very familiar. The good news is that my co-workers and I changed all of that by standing together.

I remember the day about 10 years ago when we joined Workers United— and it still gives me chills. Nearly every single one of my co-workers joined our union. Together, we negotiated holidays and weekends off to spend with family. We secured better wages to provide for our kids. We receive extensive training every year to teach us our rights and keep us safe. The training has truly saved people’s lives.

With a union, we get the dignity and respect that we’ve earned. And now, the company is held accountable to us for the first time. Not only do they need a reason to fire you, they have to prove it.

I became more and more involved in my union as I saw the difference it made in my life. Ten years ago, I became the president of my local union, and it’s been an amazing journey.

I’m very proud that we have a management team today that we can sit down with and work out our issues. As president, I’m honored to give orientations to new hires so I can show them all that we’ve accomplished together. The first thing I tell my co-workers is that, with a union, your voice matters.

The fact is, unions didn’t just make a difference for me and my co-workers. Unions are good for our community and our country.

Hardworking Americans in unions are more likely to have safer working conditions and better overall health. Union workers make 27 percent more than workers without a union. Twenty-seven percent higher wages. Imagine if politicians and corporations weren’t stripping away our freedom to form unions. How much more financially secure would our families be? How much more vibrant and safe would our neighborhoods be? Imagine how much stronger America would be.

The bottom line is: When working people can join together in unions, we can build back the middle class and secure all the things that help working people live a decent life—paid time off, livable wages, health care, retirement, and job security.

Rhonda Woods of Paris is president of Local 2760 and a member of the Southwest Regional Joint Board of Workers United, an affiliate of SEIU.