In the USA, workers make about 27 percent higher wages when they join a union. That's according to the federal Labor Department. Union dues are usually about 2 percent of a worker's income. On average, workers get better health care and retirement pensions when they join a union. Non-union workers can be fired at any time for no reason. Most workers who belong to a union can only be fired for a good reason.
In 2006 in Effingham, Illinois, population 13,000, a fight for union rights broke out. About 160 people worked at Heartland Human Services, a private agency that received government money to help mentally ill people.
The workers, most of whom were women, organized a union. To get a first contract, they went on strike. The strike lasted more than 12 months. Only a handful of workers crossed the picket line. Finally, the workers won.
In "What Did You Learn at Work Today?" Helena Worthen tells this and other true stories. Her book is well written and should be a powerful inspiration to the millions of American workers who don't have a union.
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Worthen will do a book reading at 6 p.m. on 8/29/2014 at Everyone's Books in Brattleboro, Vermont.
- Paperback: 278 pages
- Publisher: Hard Ball Press (March 12, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0991163966
- ISBN-13: 978-0991163960
- Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
- Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
- Customer Reviews: 9 customer reviews
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Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#3,549,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #52634 in Education Theory (Books)
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