Beyond the Weekend: New data reveals how unions benefit communities, consumers, employers, and employees

You’ve probably seen that bumper sticker that says, “The Labor Movement: The Folks Who Brought You the Weekend.” While the sentiment rings true – and not just about the weekend, let’s be clear –  it also evokes a kind of “what have you done for me lately?” feeling.

It turns out the answer is: quite a bit.

Beyond the Weekend, a publication of the American Rights at Work Education Fund, features highlights from five new reports demonstrating the broader value of collective bargaining, including:

• Frontline healthcare workers collaborating with hospital administrators to find real solutions that improve care and control costs.

• Partnerships between union-represented teachers and school administrators boosting student achievement in schools that serve disadvantaged families.

• Union members’ pensions funding public and private works projects that create good American jobs.

• Building trades unions partnering with community groups to create new career paths for workers of color and women.

• And through their unions, childcare providers gaining new skills and resources to improve how they care for children of low-income families.

Read more here » (pdf)