What Are Unions?

Excerpted from: The History of Unions in the United States

Labor unions are associations that aim to protect workers’ rights and advance their interests. They negotiate with employers through a process known as collective bargaining. The result is a union contract in which an employer specifies compensation, hours, benefits, job health, and safety policies.

Labor unions were created to protect employee rights and stop exploitation. Members fight together for better pay and working conditions. They can be collectively influential enough to engineer change.

What Do Unions Fight for?

Unions work to ensure members receive decent wages, affordable health care, job security, fair scheduling, and safe and respectful workplaces.

A Gallup poll found that 70% of Americans supported unions in 2024, up from 64% before the COVID-19 pandemic and from 67% in 2023.