No one wants to face difficulties at work, but this is often unavoidable. Whether you experience fear of retaliation, inadequate benefits, or unsafe working conditions, these problems can begin to affect your engagement and productivity. Unfortunately, it is typically difficult to overcome such problems.
However, to resolve these issues, external assistance could be sought after. Although the number of individuals who belong to a union has dropped since 1983, with less than 10% of US workers in a union in 2024, the benefits of unionizing are still relevant today. In fact, being part of a union can assist the previously mentioned workplace challenges.
In this post, you will learn why these issues must be overcome and how a union can do just that.
Inadequate Benefits and Low Wages
As a worker, you likely imagine having financial stability. You should be able to pay for the basics, including food, housing, and utilities. This is not the case for all workers, though. Some people will receive low wages and/or inadequate benefits, which makes them more likely to fall into debt or poverty. To show the extent of this issue, Oxfam found that there are more than 39 million low wage workers in the US.
For these employees, joining a union is an option worth considering. Unions help employees through a range of tactics, such as enforcing fair working conditions and providing support and legal services. They also utilize collective bargaining. This strategy is used to negotiate on behalf of their members to secure higher wages and improved benefits, like health, dental, and life insurance.
These labour union benefits will also assist gender equality in the workplace related to pay. Unions have led the fight for wage equality, with female unionized workers earning $7.76 more per hour than those not in a union.
Unsafe Working Conditions
Wherever you work, you expect to be safe. No one goes to work expecting injury, death, or illness, but some workplaces are at risk of causing these outcomes. There are numerous ways that a work environment can be deemed unsafe. From faulty wiring and poorly maintained machinery to inadequate training and excessive workloads, all of these issues put you at risk.
You shouldn’t wait for injury or illness before joining a union. Instead, joining a union early on can help to overcome these unsafe working conditions and prevent unpleasant outcomes. Unions are well-versed in handling this challenge, and they will utilize the best strategies to ensure you are secure during your work day. This could occur through collective action, which sees workers act as a unified group to highlight the problem.
Additionally, the union could actively monitor and enforce labor standards. If an issue arises, the safety representatives will ensure accidents and incidents are reported. They will also guarantee the employer takes the necessary action to prevent a repeat in the future.
Fear of Retaliation
If you notice something wrong in the workplace, do you report it? While the obvious answer is a resounding “yes!”, this can be a risk for some employees. After all, reporting misconduct could result in retaliation, which might see the worker losing their job unjustly. This is why unethical behavior could go unreported and unresolved, but it shouldn’t be the case.
Fear of retaliation has no place in the workplace, but it can be there. It creates a stressful and toxic environment, lowering morale and productivity in the process. Some companies might even see an increase in employee turnover as a result.
But unions are there to assist with this issue, if you are a member. As part of a union, you will have access to a formal process for reporting misconduct. The union then offers legal and representative support before negotiating with the employer to ensure rights are sufficiently protected.
To conclude, unionizing in the workplace can help to overcome challenges like low wages, unsafe working conditions, and fear of retaliation. Having an external support network is often necessary when experiencing these issues, as they can quickly impact your mental and physical health.
