Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1954-01-09
What Labor
Unions Do For
Their Members

Their Members
When a labor union is young it
can do little more than fight for
higher wages and shorter hours Of
work for it's members, and spends
much of its time and effort in in
creasing it's membership. When it
has more experience it is able to
extend its activities. Most labor
unions today are able to give their
members much more in the way of
service than they were able to
give them ten, twenty, forty years
ago.
Many labor unions publish their
own newspapers and magazines to
keep their members up to date on
what is going on in the world
both inside and outside the labor
movement. Part of the newspaper
or magazine is given to items of
interest to the workers family,
such as marketing, cooking and
fashions, and comics for the chill
dren. They report new develop
ments in their own field of work
and in their industry in general.
In many cases the labor news
paper tells its readers about what
is going on in politics and labor,
and explains what the develop
ments mean to the worker. They
discuss what is happening in the
cities and States where the work
ers live so that they will be well
informed. They discuss the prob
lens of workers in other countries
and the joint efforts of the inter-
national workingmen's declarations
in the free world. They thus arouse
their readers interest in the COM
munity and the Nation and urge
them to register and vote.
The union holds meetings at
which problems are discussed. At
those meetings it might be decided
to make special membership drive
in certain plant, or to help sup
port workers who are on strike in
some other place SO they can exist
until the strike is settled. Rela-
tions with other unions or union
locals are discussed, and officials
of State and Federal labor depart
ments are asked to visit and eX-
plain what the government is doing
TO help solve the workers prob
lens: Experienced union members
make studies of living and working
conditions in various parts of the
city, or or how workers should be
trained in new kinds of jobs. In
this connection the major unions of
the country have done an outstand-
ing job of cooperation in the re-
training and rehabilitation of union
members returning as veterans
from World War IL.
Trade union leaders together
with representatives of industry
and the public have worked on price
and rationing committees. AS indi-
viduals many of them have served
on committees for the selection Of
men and women for the armed
services, and on committees for
getting money for the war effort.
Many labor union members today
take a direct part in State and city
governments.
Unions also have life insurance,
health, and pensions programs.
Many union-sponsored health insur-
ance plans provide maternity benc-
fits for women employees and for
the wives of men employees. Some
unions maintain homes for their
retired members. Many own their
own cooperative stores. They fl
nance improved housing projects
for workers. They arrange radio
programs and recreational activi-
ties for their members. They run
summer camps for members and
their families. They also conduct
charitable drives, to provide eX-
pensive hospital equipment or ia
cilities for the treatment of major
diseases.
In fact the modern labor union
goes into nearly every field of
living in which it's members are
interested, and frequently into re-