Did You Know. . .
UNION EFFORTS BROUGHT YOU
1827 - First battle for 10 hour work day fought by Mechanics Union of Trade Assemblies
1828 - Unions fought
for free PUBLIC EDUCATION; abolition of debtor's prison
1827
- First battle for 10 hour work day fought by Mechanics
Union of Trade Assemblies
1842 - Supreme Court rules unions have legal right to exist
1868 - National Labor Union pressures
passage of 8 hour work day
1882 - First Labor Day Parade - 10,000 workmen march around Manhattan's Union
Square
1894 - President Cleveland makes Labor Day
a National Holiday
1906 - President Roosevelt enacts
Employees Liability Act - Workers Compensation
1935
- National Labor Relations Act gives workers right to join unions and bargain collectively
1937 - United Auto Workers in Michigan secure 40 hour work week
1938 - Fair Labor Standards Act enacts Child Labor Laws - brought about by union crusades
Communities Do Better When Unions Are Stronger*
Statistics show in states where more people are union
members, those states have higher wages, better benefits and better schools. While unions are just one factor affecting the
quality of living, the pattern indicates that when workers have a voice at work, the community also benefits.
*Taken from August, 2003
American @ Work AFL-CIO magazine.
| |
10 States Where
Unions Are Strongest |
10 States Where
Unions Are Weakest |
| Average hourly earnings, 2000 |
$15.65 |
$12.49 |
| Average household income, 2000 |
$46,378 |
$38,854 |
| Percent of population with no medical insurance, 1999-2000 |
11.8% |
15.1% |
| Public education spending per pupil, 2000-2001 |
$8,265 |
$5,774 |
| Percent eligible voters voting in presidential election, 2000 |
55.2% |
49.2% |
| Crimes per 100,000 people |
4,114 |
4,694 |
| Percent of population in poverty, 1999 |
10.6% |
13.3% |
| Maximum weekly unemployment insurance benefit in 2002 |
$379 |
$296 |
| Maximum weekly workers' compenstaion benefit in 2001 |
$675 |
$486 |
| Workplace fatality rate in 2000 (per 10,000 workers) |
4.6 |
6.3 |
Ten States Where Unions Are Strongest (based on percentage of workforce
with a union): New York, Hawaii, Alaska, Michigan, New Jersey, Washington, Illinois, Rhode Island, Ohio, Minnesota
Ten States Where Unions Are Weakest (based on percentage of workforce with
a union): North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Mississippi, Arizona, South Dakota, Arkansas, Florida, Utah |
