Today's RWDSU

Today the RWDSU continues to actively represent members and to organize new members. The union remains the strength behind members' efforts to make better lives for themselves and their families and that often means the ability to negotiate better wages, benefits and working conditions.

The RWDSU is also active in politics and the legislative process. The union works to give voice to the concerns of working people in the political arena and to inform members about issues that affect them as workers. The union provides expert workplace health and safety information and guidance. And through the Union Privilege Program members have access to consumer related programs that provide, among other things, discounted legal and mortgage programs and a credit card program.

But being a member of the union means more than just a better worklife. The RWDSU is proud of its longstanding commitment to civil rights. We stood with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the fight for greater civil rights and the union was the first in the nation to negotiate Dr. King's birthday as a paid holiday. The RWDSU was also one of the first unions to pass a convention resolution to support black trade unions in South Africa and the union provided election observers for the first free elections in that country. Today the union continues to advocate for greater civil rights for all people regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, country of origin, gender, physical limitation or sexual orientation.

Union members are also active in their communities. The RWDSU and many locals throughout the U.S. and Canada maintain and support scholarship programs, food banks, citizenship assistance programs, voter registration drives, disaster relief and other programs to help our local communities.