Both unions and citizen organizations seek to increase people's power through unity in order to improve the quality of their lives. Unions often have resources, members, political contracts, and power that can be essential to winning citizens' issues. Community and citizen organizations not only share with unions an interest in many issues, but can also lend valued support to labor's battles, both in the legislature and in the workplace.
Labor leaders feel tremendous pride in labor's history and accomplishments.
Despite incredible opposition, unions have won better wages, benefits, dignity, and justice on the job. Unions have been and still are very active in the legislative arena. They have fought for workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, child labor laws, and many other things that we now take for granted. Unions pioneered many tactics years ago that are now seen as new and creative. Unions now face assaults from all sides.