- Why join the Union?
- The pay, pension, and healthcare package you were offered is a result of 40+ years of hard bargaining to maintain competitive wages and benefits to attract and retain a well-qualified professional workforce.
- According to AFSCME Council 4’s most recent data, on average, union workers’ wages are 26.2% higher than their non-union counterparts. To see how much more you make compared to a similar non-unionized worker, check out AFSCME’s Wage Calculator. Caution: you may find the difference shocking!
- According to recent data provided by the AFL-CIO, only 19 percent of non-union workers have guaranteed pensions, compared to 78% of unionized employees having a guaranteed pension. Retirement may be a long way off, but retirement planning should start on your first day of work.
- Unions protect jobs from being outsourced.
- Unions are a collective voice. Through the process of collective bargaining, unions obtain better pay, pension, healthcare and working conditions than individuals would be able to negotiate on their own.
- Union membership allows your voice to be heard on matters that will affect your and your family’s economic security. Union membership is required to vote on any matter brought before the union, including contract ratification, election of officers, and constitutional changes. Do you want to leave your economic future in someone else’s hands?
- Belong to a group of dedicated individuals seeking to make Central a better place by joining more than 95% of your SUOAF colleagues in financially supporting the work of our union, for the benefit of everyone. Solidarity is just as important to them as it is to the union.
- Union representatives work on your behalf to ensure you enjoy all the contractual benefits and protections we have fought so hard to achieve over the years. Union membership puts information at your fingertips – just pick up the phone and give us a call.
- The Union is with you in good times and in bad times. Everybody likes payday, but there are going to be bad days, too. The depth of union resource and expertise is generally not fully appreciated until you face a significant event, like discipline or termination.
- Unions achieve strength through numbers. It’s lonely to walk alone. Unions defeat “divide and conquer” strategies and strengthen everyone’s voice through the collective bargaining process. Be a part of something bigger than yourself.
- Unions ensure that management acts fairly and treats workers with respect. Like the Three Musketeers, we are all for one, and one for all. We have the difficult conversations, so you don’t have to.
- Union membership is required to attend union meetings, where you will receive helpful information from union leaders on a wide range of topics that go beyond the union contract but have an impact on your employment or benefits. And, some of these meetings, like the Annual Meeting and Holiday Meeting are fun!
- According to AFSCME Council 4’s most recent data, women and African Americans represented by unions earn between 29% and 33% more than their non-union counterparts.
- Also, according to that same data, Latino workers represented by unions make 47% more than those not represented by a union. A united, diverse union is a force to be reckoned with!
- Unions keep our politicians accountable to the middle-class by lobbying to protect our interests and informing us when candidates or incumbents are working against us. Friends don’t let friends vote blind.
- Public-sector unions in Connecticut make Connecticut work by fighting to ensure we provide the services needed to make our communities smarter, stronger, and safer. We’re there for our friends and neighbors.
- Union members are concerned about the future and want to live in healthy, sustainable communities and pass that tradition on to their children.
- Unions are leading champions of the protection of individual rights. We seek to balance power differentials and ensure civil liberties are upheld.
- Unions support the expansion of individual opportunities for all Americans. A rising tide floats all boats. What lifts one of us up, lifts all of us up.
- Why join the SUOAF union? Simply put, those who don’t join the union are considered “freeloaders” – people who take advantage of gains achieved by others without giving anything in return. Your job exists because of the Union. Your pay, pension, healthcare, and working conditions were brought about by the Union. The Union will be there for you in good times and in bad. Please don’t freeload off the dues paid by more than 95% of your coworkers. Complete a membership card today and send it to Lisa Marie Bigelow, Central Chapter President, Davidson Hall, Room 205.