Why Organize?

• It’s the way to more STABILITY and SECURITY

  Construction work can have its ups and downs; you don’t always know where your next job will be — and what kind of pay and benefits you’ll have when you get there.

  As a union construction worker, the pay, benefits and working conditions in your union contract are guaranteed — you carry them with you from job to job.

   

• You get fully-paid HEALTH INSURANCE

  Union Sheet Metal Workers have health insurance provided by their contract and most have free family coverage with low deductibles.

  When you’re a member, your benefits are portable; your coverage follows you from job to job.

   

• You have more RETIREMENT SECURITY

  Retirement security is hard to come by when you work in construction.

  Union Sheet Metal Workers have collectively bargained pensions they can count on; they accrue benefits on every job.

   

• You have access to the BEST JOBS in town

  Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 85 has worked hard to ensure our members work in the best conditions possible.

   

• Safety Hazards are reduced

  FACT: Every year, more than 1,000 construction workers are killed on the job.

  Union sheet metal workers receive more safety training. They have avenues to address problems and make worksites safer, and are more likely to have access to proper equipment — and are half as likely to have life threatening accidents during their work careers.

   

• Better TRAINING and ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

  Continuing education classes are provided at no cost to you.

  Unions and union contractors:

  Invest more than $500 million per year in training

  Have more than 2,000 training facilities around the country

  Train more than 180,000 apprentices and 500,000 journey—level workers every year

   

• You have RESPECT and a PARTNERSHIP at work

  Ever been told to do something a certain way, even though you knew it wasn’t the right way? Having a union means having a partnership with your employer and a say in decisions on the job.

  Your views and skills are respected.

  You work with your co-workers to solve problems and you have what you need to get the job done right — the first time.

   

• The same set of RULES applies to everyone

  Because they’re negotiated by and for everyone on the job, union contracts emphasize equality and fair treatment.

  They provide a written set of rules that applies to everyone — and on every job — eliminating favoritism and discrimination and guaranteeing that no one can be unfairly or arbitrarily disciplined or dismissed.

   

• You help build a STRONGER COMMUNITY

  By forming or joining a union where you work, you’re creating more good jobs — and building a more secure future for yourself and your community. When you replace low-wage and temporary jobs with good union jobs, you boost local economies, lift living standards, strengthen tax bases, and reduce the burden on tax payers by lowering the number of unemployed and uninsured.

   

• You also make a LOT MORE MONEY

  While rates vary from trade to trade and from region to region, union construction workers on average make 41% more in wages than non-union workers.

  When paid an honest wage for an honest days work, you don’t have to work so much overtime to make ends meet; enabling you to have quality time with your family.

   

For more information about organizing, click here or contact James Jackson.