As Union members, we are fortunate to enjoy excellent wages, benefits and job protections. We are lucky to be part of a Union family with the passion and skills to fight for those rights. And we should be proud of ourselves for having worked hard to put food on the table and roofs over our heads this year.
These gifts are meant to be shared and reciprocated, and one of the best ways to give back is by shopping Union this holiday season.
For many of us, it’s a simple matter of shopping where we work. The average Union supermarket has a wide variety of possible gifts for friends and family, from small appliances to cookware and from cookware to toys.
Before you consider shopping at a non-Union retailer like Walmart or Target, consider the following:
When we shop Union, we demonstrate human decency. Something as small as purchasing an American Union-made product goes a long way. It means our hard-earned money is going to employers who provide fair wages and benefits to the workers who make their companies profitable. The choice to buy U.S. products is a choice for human rights over foreign firms who might abuse their employees.
Shopping Union creates better jobs for everyone. When we spend our dollars at responsible Union businesses, they are more likely to order more raw materials and supplies from domestic sources, thereby creating more jobs to keep up with the demand for their products and services.
Furthermore, by shopping Union, we are giving people stability and longevity in their careers. With every click of a button to purchase items in a digital cart from a non-Union source, a Union worker’s job is at stake. And when a Union worker’s job is lost, so is their health care and retirement security. When you buy Union-made products, you’re protecting the future of Union members and their families.
It is our responsibility to improve the lives of our fellow members. We look out for one another. We fight for one another. When we show gratitude, it is returned ten-fold, and this cycle of giving preserves our way of life.
This season, let’s think carefully about where our money goes. Let’s think about people who are part of our great American Union movement for their support, and also for the work they perform year after year.
