Unions have played an important role in the lives of America’s workers since the early years of our country’s history. Even today, working Americans – both union and non-union– have a long list of reasons to thank the labor movement:
| 1. | Weekends |
| 2. | All breaks at work, including your lunch breaks |
| 3. | Paid Vacation |
| 4. | Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) |
| 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. | Occupational Safety & Health Act (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 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 (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 |