So, you’re interested in a union. That’s good! Whatever you may have heard about unions in the past, they can be a great way for you to improve your working conditions, negotiate for better pay, receive more benefits, and much, much more. Taking an interest in ensuring safe and well-paid work for you and your fellow workers is vital.

But unions can be complicated for a variety of reasons. If there is an active union within your current place of work, then joining a union may be as simple as talking to your union organizer and signing up. If there is no union at your place of work, however (as is the case in many workplaces, and probably why you’re reading this), then there is a lot to go over, and there may be no one who you know who will go over it with you.

Part 1: What is a Union, and How Does it Work?

Unions are essentially worker lead organizations that bargain on behalf of all of their members for things like better pay, safer working conditions, more benefits, and much more. The idea is that if a single worker threatens to quit over bad working conditions, an employer can easily replace them. But if that same kind of threat is coming from the entire workplace, the employer would have a disaster on their hands if the employees actually went through with it. This puts a lot of pressure on the employer to agree to the demands of unions, which in turn means you get better working conditions.

Sometimes a compromise can’t be met and workers do have to follow through with their threat, at least temporarily, in the form of a strike. This is union workers just not showing up for work for a period of time, which loses the employer money. In most developed countries, there are protections for workers that allow them to strike for a certain amount of time without being fired, and in many unions some of the union dues go to paying the striking workers some amount of money to make up for the money they are missing out on by striking.

The leaders of unions are chosen by the workers democratically, and this allows the workers to have a lot of control over how negotiations are preformed on their behalf. If union members feel as though their leadership is not doing enough to stick up for their interests, they could elect new leaders from the rest of the workers to take over.

Part 2: Why Join a Union?

Unions provide a lot of services, so there’s plenty of selfish reasons to join. Just to name a few, unions:

Negotiate for better pay

Negotiate for more time off

Negotiate for safer working conditions

Negotiate for better hours

Negotiate for better benefits

And this gets to one of the falsehoods about unions that you’ll here time and again from employers: that union dues are expensive, and why spend the money on a union when you could spend it on yourself? In fact According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, union members make, on average, 191 dollars a week more than non union workers. Union dues, on the other hand, only cost about 50 dollars a month on average. So even if you’re convinced you’ll never get sick, hate taking days off, and plan to die the day you retire, unions still, on average, make you your money back plus a lot more.

But in reality, this is almost missing the point. Unions make labor stronger. Nobody can unionize alone, your fellow workers NEED you to stand with them. There are too many people around the world that are subjected to long hours, low pay, and hazardous working conditions. With nobody to speak up for them, they have no power against their boss. Capitalism is a system wherein you either work or you starve, and if the only people willing to employ you tell you to go risk your life for their bottom dollar, you don’t have much of a choice.

Repeat after me: This is bigger than you or me

The harsh truth of all of this is that every worker, all over the world, is being taken advantage of. You aren’t paid the full value of your labor, whether you make a dollar a day in a sweatshop in Taiwan, or you get paid $40,000 a year as a welder in America. Somebody is taking advantage, somebody is skimming off the top, somebody taking the profit of YOUR work. If we let them, they’ll continue to drive a wedge between what you’re worth and what you’re paid, and you’ll be the one who suffers.

Part 3: So We’re Fucked, How do I Help?

Well, circling back to the point of this article, joining a union is how you help. The more workers that unionize, and the bigger unions get, the more influence labor has over business. And here’s how to go about it:

Firstly, do your best to keep management in the dark about your efforts, at least at first. The last thing your bosses and owners want you to do is unionize, and while they aren’t allowed to directly threaten you, they will do everything in their power to stop you, and in these early stages you don’t need that kind of interference.

Start by picking the people in your workplace that you think might be the most susceptible to the idea of a union, and subtly run the idea by them. phrases like “Wouldn’t it be something if we all just walked out” or “We should have some say, they can’t treat us like that” in response to an unpopular change by management work well in these instances. keep a list of potential candidates to join you by gauging their reactions. Remember, you work with these people, you understand what they go through and you can relate to them. More people will be susceptible then you think.

Once you have an idea of who in your workplace may be willing to join you in a union, start bringing it up to them, starting with the people you are most confident in. If they have doubts, explain the benefits. You know what at work is upsetting these people, so you can relate to what they need and what will motivate them more then I ever could, but be careful at this stage not to vocalize the idea to anyone who is anti-union. If management realizes how far along you are at this stage they may just fire you and deal with the consequences, especially if they feel you don’t have the time and money to file an wrongful dismissal case.

Once you have a list of definite yes’s for your union, get into contact with a union organizer for an organization that covers your profession or area. The AFL-CIO is a good place to start, and they can get you into talks with someone who can your union organized and begin talks with your employer. At this point, a wrongful dismissal case would be open and shut, and simply firing one employee would no longer cut it, so your employer is unlikely to try and shut you down at this stage.

From here, your union organizer can guide you through the process of negotiating with your employer for your benefits and workplace concessions.

Starting a union in your workplace can create real, lasting change, and it’s attainable. It is entirely reasonable to get even a few dozen workers together to unionize, and the impact on your life and the lives of your fellow workers could be huge. If you’ve thought of dabbling in activism, this is a wonderful place to start, and to see your efforts make real change in the world.