36 Reasons to Thank Unions

Labor unions made the following possible:

1. Weekends
2. All Breaks at Work - Including Lunch Breaks
3. Paid Vacation
4. Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA)
5. Sick Leave
6. Social Security
7. Minimum Wage
8. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
   * Prohibits Employer Discrimination
9. 8-Hour Work Day
10. Overtime Pay
11. Child Labor Laws
12. Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA)
13. 40 Hour Work Week
14. Worker's Compensation (Worker's Comp)
15. Unemployment Insurance
16. Pensions
17. Workplace Safety Standards and Regulations
18. Employer Health Care Insurance
19. Collective Bargaining Rights for Employees
20. Wrongful Termination Laws
21. Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
22. Whistleblower Protection Laws
23. Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA)
    * Prohibits Employer from using a lie detector test on an employee
24. Veteran's Employment and Training Services (VETS)
25. Compensation increases and Evaluations
    * Raises
26. Sexual Harassment Laws
27. Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
28. Holiday Pay
29. Employer Dental, Life, and Vision Insurance
30. Privacy Rights
31. Pregnancy and Parental Leave
32. Military Leave
33. The Right to Strike
34. Public Education for Children
35. Equal Pay Acts of 1963 & 2011
    * Requires employers pay men and women equally for the same amount of work
36. Laws Ending Sweatshops in the United States

Factsheets:

• EPI | How Today's Unions Help Working People
• EPI | How Unions Help All Workers
• Democratic Staff of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce | Stronger Together: How Unions Help Strengthen Families and the Nation