900,000 working men and women in Pennsylvania are represented by 51 International Unions, with 1,422 Locals in all of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.
Much of the work of organized labor in Pennsylvania is conducted and coordinated by 34 regional Central Labor Councils (CLCs) accross the state.
Your Rights At Work
If you work in the United States you have certain workplace rights guaranteed by federal law whether you belong to a union or not.
Unless you are a manager or other exempted employee, you have a right to overtime pay if you work more than 40 hours a week. You have a right not to be descriminated against because of your age, gender, race, religion, or immigration status. You have a right not to be sexually harrased at work. You have a right to workplace free of recognized health and saftey hazards.
Your Right to a Union
Most working people have the legal right under Section 7 of the U.S. National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to join or support a union and to engage in collective bargaining.
Working people all over the United States are joining unions in greater and greater numbers, seeking a voice at work for better wages and benefits, safe and secure jobs and respect.
Your right to a union includes the the right to:
• Attend meetings to discuss joining a union
• Read, distribute and discuss union literature (as long as you do this in nonwork areas during nonwork times, such as breaks or lunch hours)
• Wear union buttons, T-shirts, stickers, hats or other items on the job at most worksites
• Sign a card asking your employer to recognize and bargain with the union
• Sign petitions or file grievances related to wages, hours, working conditions and other job issues
• Ask other employees to support the union, to sign union cards or petitions or to file grievances.
Section 8 of the NLRA says your employer cannot legally punish or discriminate against any worker because of union activity. The employer cannot threaten to or actually fire, lay off, discipline, transfer or reassign workers because of their union support. The employer cannot favor employees who don't support the union over those who do in promotions, job assignments, wages and other working conditions. The employer cannot lay off employees or take away benefits or privileges employees already have in order to discourage union activity.
Unfortunately employers routinely mount workplace wars to stop workers from forming unions. The national AFL-CIO's Voice@Work campaign works to ensure the war of intimidation and harassment against them is not carried out secretly. Voice@Work engages communities in supporting workers struggling to build better lives by gaining a voice at work through union membership.
HOW TO GET A UNION
Dangerous or demeaning conditions at work? Low wages? No benefits? Discrimination? No Future? Make change: make a union at your workplace. Find out how.
WHAT TO DO IF . . .
You have been injured on the job.
You have been denied overtime pay.
You have been hassled or fired for trying to form a union.
You have been discriminated against at work because of your age, sex, race, religion, ethnicity or because you are pregnant or an immigrant.