Unions lessen the inequalities of income and wealth that separate the rich from the rest of us. Union members have more and better health coverage than nonunion workers. Union members are more likely to be covered by pensions and to enjoy defined-benefit plans. Pension plans and the Social Security system are under attack. Unions are leading the fight to save Social Security while opposing pension plan proposals that seek to shift market risks from employers to workers.
Unions are at the forefront of battles to improve educational opportunities for all children.
Unions enable workers to choose where and how to spend their personal time. After six years of economic growth in the 1990s, average family income is higher today than it was in 1989. We're still the richest country in the world. After six years of economic growth in the 1990s, average family income is still lower today than it was in 1989. Ten percent of American families own 70 percent of the nation's wealth.