Brothers & Sisters:           

Now that we have enough signatures to get SB5 on the ballot this November, we should expect a lot of negative media about unions.  So, I wanted to give this membership some ammunition when talking to people about what unions have done for Americans over the last 100 years.

36 Reasons Why You Should Thank a Union

1.         Weekends

2.         All Breaks at Work (including lunch breaks)

3.         Paid Vacation

4.         FMLA (Family Medical Leave)

5.         Sick Leave

6.         Social Security

7.         Minimum Wage

8.         Civil Rights Act/Title VII (Prohibits Employer Discrimination)

9.         8-hour Work Day

10.       Overtime Pay

11.       Child Labor Laws

12.       OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Act)

13.       40-hour Work Week

14.       Workers’ Compensation

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 Protect Act (Prohibits Employer from using a lie detector test on an employee)

24.       Veteran’s Employment and Training Services (VETS)

25.       Compensation Increases and Evaluations (pay 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

Why are politics so important?  All the sacrifices workers have made to win justice in the workplace can be taken away with the swipe of a pen.  SB5 is a prime example, but only one of many.  We need to stand together to continue the fight while we still can.  This is why the UAW is trying to get as many members as possible to sign-up for GIMME FIVE.  We need to show our solidarity and all move in the same direction if we are going to succeed in protecting our rights (already fought for and won).  We need to stand together to take steps forward, not backwards.            

Please stop by the work center or union hall and sign-up for GIMME FIVE, if you already have signed-up, then you know how important and sacred our rights are.  If you have not, then you need to do so.  United we bargain, divided we beg!  Believe it!