In today’s challenging economic landscape, unions play a vital role in securing fair wages and essential benefits for workers. This article highlights how, despite the current climate of weakened labor rights, unions continue to advocate for decent remuneration, quality healthcare, and ample sick and vacation time. These benefits are crucial in transforming a life of mere survival into one of saving and planning for the future. A prime example is my brother, a lifelong union member who strategically took advantage of overtime opportunities, resulting in a seven-figure net worth—built not through rising property values, but through disciplined spending and smart investments.
It’s often overlooked that unions also assist white-collar workers. Management often maintains a social divide between hourly and salaried employees, but many benefits won by unions, such as cost-of-living adjustments and employer contributions to retirement plans, are frequently extended to supervisory and managerial positions as well.
By Roxanne D. Brown, the international president of the United Steelworkers Union (USW). Produced by the Independent Media Institute
Marcelo Assis reflects on his family’s arrival in the United States about 35 years ago, recalling how they were “poor as hell” but firmly believed that America could offer them opportunities unattainable in Brazil.
Over the years, Marcelo’s journey has had its ups and downs. After serving as a combat medic in the Army, he found himself disillusioned in low-paying nonunion jobs. However, he eventually secured back-to-back union positions that propelled him firmly into the middle class. He vividly remembers standing in his newly purchased home, surrounded by his family, and realizing he had achieved the American dream.
“This is the American dream,” he told himself.
Marcelo’s story exemplifies how unions pave the way for a brighter future, especially in a time when many working individuals feel that the American dream is slipping away due to glaring economic inequality, rising costs, and the indifference of the wealthy.
According to a January 2024 ABC News/Ipsos poll, nearly 70 percent of Americans no longer believe that hard work guarantees mobility or financial security.
Similarly, an AP-NORC survey conducted for the nation’s 250th birthday revealed that half of those surveyed had lost faith in the American dream, feeling it only benefits the affluent.
However, Marcelo, now president of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 12000 and a mechanic at Southern Connecticut Gas, firmly believes that things can change. The union has not only helped him realize the American dream but has also empowered him to maintain it.
Thanks to his USW contract, Marcelo enjoys good wages that allow him to navigate the challenges of rising inflation and spiraling costs for groceries, utilities, and housing. It also assures him of retirement security, even as some politicians propose cuts to essential services for the elderly.
The contract guarantees high-quality, employer-sponsored healthcare—a crucial benefit as many Americans are forced to delay medical care due to soaring costs.
“There’s a sense of stability in knowing you have benefits,” Marcelo emphasized about the contract he and his coworkers negotiated. “You don’t have to worry.”
These are remarkable achievements, but they are not isolated cases.
Across the nation, union members earn substantially higher wages compared to their non-union counterparts. They are also more likely to receive paid family leave, vacation days, and a better work-life balance. These benefits contribute to a life rich in experiences—like family vacations and participation in local sports leagues.
This is what independence looks like; Marcelo refers to it as the “union life.”
Moreover, unions provide a platform for workers to voice their concerns regarding wages, safety, and other critical issues, empowering them during a time when many Americans face a growing sense of helplessness.
Union membership fosters a sense of community, with coworkers looking out for one another. This camaraderie serves as a strong counterbalance to the widespread feelings of loneliness prevalent in society today.
Even better, this shared sense of identity encourages union members to work together for the common good and take ownership of their communities, often through volunteer initiatives and political advocacy that Local 12000 members actively engage in.
“Doing it together makes the climb much easier than if I were doing it alone,” Marcelo expressed, highlighting the solidarity that unites hundreds of his coworkers.
This message resonates with an increasing number of workers who are tired of feeling overworked yet underpaid, while the wealthy continue to prosper.
Polling data indicates unprecedented approval for unions, with workers nationwide joining forces to reclaim their futures.
The American dream is alive and well; we simply need to unite to seize it.
