As the above graph from the Economic Policy Institute clearly shows, when workers have no power to bargain with their employers, wealth gravitates to the top.
Obtaining a U.S. Senate seat now cossts over $50 million. Billionaires pay for these political campaigns so Congress will promote ludicrous “trickle down” theories, telling voters that the richer the rich get, the richer they will get. That never happens, but people will believe anything if it’s repeated enough.
Americans have always joined together—whether in parent teacher associations or local community organizations—to solve problems and make changes that improve their lives and their communities. Through unions, people join together to strive for improvements at the place where they spend a large portion of their waking hours: work.
The freedom of workers to join together in unions and negotiate with employers (in a process known as collective bargaining) is widely recognized as a fundamental human right across the globe. In the United States, this right is protected by the U.S. Constitution and U.S. law and is supported by a majority of Americans.
Over 16 million working women and men in the United States are exercising this right—these 16 million workers are represented by unions. Overall, more than one in nine U.S. workers are represented by unions. This representation makes organized labor one of the largest institutions in America.