Shop ‘Union-Made’ for the Holidays

As the holiday shopping season begins, APWU President William Burrus is encouraging members to "look for the union label" when selecting gifts for their family and friends.

"When we care enough to seek out union-made gifts, we are not only purchasing high-quality products, we are demonstrating a commitment to preserving good jobs and strong communities,” he said.

The "Buy Union" reminder is part of the AFL-CIO Union Label & Service Trades Department's annual campaign to encourage union families to let merchants know that they want union products. 

“Time and again, surveys tell us that working families prefer the quality of union goods and services, but they often have trouble finding that choice,” said Rich Kline, leader of the Union Label effort.

Kline noted that American consumers are expected to spend more than $90 billion on holiday gifts this year, and that at least 10 percent, or $9 billion of that spending, comes from union households. “We’re asking union members to look for union products," he said. Shoppers often have a hard time finding union-made products, however.

Union families can help locate union-made products and services by visiting the following Web sites: 

www.shopunionmade.org offers a wide array of goods and services, from books and music to gifts and house wares, 24 hours a day. To save you money, the Web site it offers Union Plus discounts exclusively to union members and their families.

www.unionlabel.org helps you determine which products and services support union labor, including airlines, hotels, restaurants and car rental companies — and those that do not.