America's 16.2 million union members represent a cross section of people -- women and men of all ages, races and ethnic groups. They work in hospitals and nursing homes, auto assembly plants and on construction sites, trains, buses and airplanes. They are security guards, engineers, office workers, musicians, electricians, postal workers, janitors and more.

UNION MEMBER of the CENTURY!

Albert Einstein, Time magazine's Person of the Century was a visionary scientist, philosopher, teacher -- and union member. In fact, he was a founding member of the
Princeton Federation of Teachers Local 552, signing its charter in 1938. Look, he was a pretty smart guy, right? Well? What are you waiting for!

Union membership is important to all of these people, helping them gain decent wages and working conditions and have a say in their jobs.

A collection of fast facts posted at the national AFL-CIO website answers basic questions about unions -- how many workers are members, what jobs they do and
how much they are paid -- and shows some of the advantages of union membership.

Voice@Work: Joining a Union

Working people in all walks of life join together in unions to gain a voice at work. Union members have a say about pay, benefits, working conditions and how their jobs get done -- and having that say gives them a union advantage.

If you don't have a union at your job, find out more about how to form one.
Today, more people are looking into joining unions than at any time in recent history.
You can be one of them!Here's how to get started: