Unions = Health Equity: How Worker Power Shapes Community Wellbeing

When we talk about health equity, we must also talk about labor unions. Because the truth is simple: our jobs are more than paychecks. They are a social determinant of health (SDOH).

Work as a Social Determinant of Health (SDOH)

Where and how we work influences nearly every other aspect of life:

• Income (affects housing, food, healthcare access)

• Working conditions (affect safety, exposure to toxins, burnout)

• Job security (reduces or worsens stress)

• Healthcare benefits (determine whether families can access preventive care)

Unions directly shape these conditions by giving workers a collective voice.

Research shows that unionized workers — particularly women and workers of color — earn significantly higher wages than their non-union peers. For example, Black union workers earn about 14% more than non-union Black workers, and women in unions face a smaller wage gap compared to men (Economic Policy Institute).

These gains aren’t just about money. They translate into the building blocks of health equity: stable housing, nutritious food, reduced stress, and preventive care access. By challenging financial inequality, unions are actively reshaping the SDOH landscape.

How Unions Improve Health Outcomes

Unions don’t just fight for higher wages — they fight for healthier lives. Here’s how:

1. Safer Workplaces

   • Collective bargaining has led to stricter safety standards, OSHA protections, and improved access to protective equipment.

   • Workers in construction, healthcare, and factories benefit from reduced injury and fatality rates in unionized environments.

2. Healthcare Access

   • Unionized workers are far more likely to have employer-covered health insurance, including mental health coverage.

   • This increases use of preventive care, lowering long-term disparities in chronic illness.

3. Mental Health and Burnout

   • Unions negotiate fairer schedules, reasonable hours, and job security.

   • Reduced toxic stress leads to lower rates of depression, anxiety, and burnout.

4. Ripple Effects Beyond Members

   • When unions raise standards in one workplace, industries often follow. Even non-union workers benefit indirectly.

In short, unions are not just economic forces. They are public health interventions.

Fighting Bias and Building Inclusive Workplaces

Unions have also played a vital role in addressing identity-based prejudice and bias. The fight for dignity at work has always been tied to the fight for racial, gender, and LGBTQ+ justice.

• Racial Justice: The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, led by A. Philip Randolph, was the first major Black-led union in the U.S. and became a cornerstone of the civil rights movement.

• Gender Equality: Teachers’ and nurses’ unions have long fought for equal pay, parental leave, and protections against gender discrimination and harassment.

• LGBTQ+ Rights: Unions like SEIU and AFL-CIO supported marriage equality and continue to push for protections against workplace discrimination for LGBTQ+ workers.

• Immigrant Rights: Farmworker unions, led by César Chávez and Dolores Huerta, demanded safe working conditions and fair wages for immigrant laborers who were historically excluded from protections.

By challenging racism, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia, unions do more than improve paychecks — they chip away at the systemic inequities that create health disparities across identity groups.

The Modern Resurgence

Union membership has declined since the 1980s, but in recent years we’ve seen a resurgence. From Starbucks baristas to Amazon warehouse employees, graduate students to nurses, new generations of workers are organizing.

Their demands often sound familiar: fair pay, healthcare, safety. But they also highlight new concerns:

• Mental health protections

• Anti-harassment measures

• Equity for women, LGBTQ+, and immigrant workers

The message is clear: in a time of widening inequality, unions remain one of the most powerful tools for advancing both economic and health equity.

Labor Rights = Health Rights

Labor Day should remind us that the fight for justice at work is inseparable from the fight for justice in health.

Unions are not just about wages. They are about ensuring that people — across race, gender, sexuality, and class — can live, work, and thrive in conditions that support their health.

At Conscious By Us, we believe:

• Labor rights are human rights.

• Workplace dignity is a public health issue.

• Collective voices create healthier communities.

This Labor Day, let’s honor the victories of the past, support the struggles of the present, and remember that Unions = Health Equity.

See Clearly. Act Justly.