What Have American Unions Ever Done For Us? [A group of six people sit around a table in suits with notepads and pens in front of them] MEETING LEADER: All right, as you know, I've called this meeting to discuss the union situation. - Union situation? MEETING LEADER: Yes. The situation that there are unions and that we don't like them. We are sick and tired of being strong-armed by these communists. And we simply are not going to take it anymore. - Here, here. - Here, here. - Here, here. MEETING LEADER: These damned unions have bled us dry. - Yeah. MEETING LEADER: And it's not just our company that they've bled dry, oh, oh, oh, oh. It's all the people who work for us, our co-workers and their co-workers. - And our co-workers' co-workers' co-workers. MEETING LEADER: Right, even those people. After leeching off corporations for all these years, what have unions done for us? - Maternity leave. MEETING LEADER: What? - Maternity leave. MEETING LEADER: Well, right, maternity leave. They did manage to finagle that. - Weekends off. MEETING LEADER: Well, yes, the unions did give us weekends off. But don't think you're going to take this weekend off. - Oh, we don't. We don't but we'll get overtime pay. - And that's because of the unions. MEETING LEADER: Beside maternity leave and weekends off, what have the unions really done for us? - What about worker's compensation? MEETING LEADER: Well, obviously, worker's compensation. I mean, that's a given, you idiot. But seriously, besides maternity leave, weekends off, and worker's compensation, tell me one thing that the unions have really contributed to the workplace. - Fair wages. - Outlawing discrimination. - And did you know union workers make 30% more than non-union workers? How cool is that? - Yes, and the unions ended child labor. - That's right. You know, kids used to work in shit conditions like sweatshops. - Don't forget employer-based health coverage and sick days. - I love those. - It's really difficult to have a strong middle class without unions. - Yeah, and unions also fought to make laws protecting whistleblowers who expose corporate corruption. - I mean, they really did that. Come on, who does that? - No one except unions, right? MEETING LEADER: OK! Apart from maternity leave, weekends off, worker's compensation, fair wages, ending discrimination, ending child labor, fighting for employer-based health coverage, and protection for whistleblowers, seriously, what have the unions ever really given us? - A workforce that runs this company and has made you a millionaire. MEETING LEADER: Bob-- - Right away. [TEXT ON SCREEN: Want to make sure unions can keep fighting for all of us? Go to Rebuildingthedream.com to help write the contract for the American Dream. MoveOn.org Civic Action.]