Cleveland’s Unions Are Its Workers — And They Keep the Region Strong

For generations, working people have organized together to keep this region moving — building bridges, caring for patients, educating children, and keeping businesses and factories running, all by standing together for safer workplaces, fair wages, and a voice on the job. 

Across Northeast Ohio, tens of thousands of workers belong to unions representing nearly every sector of our community. These are the people who keep our neighborhoods running, public services functioning, businesses thriving, and our cultural and educational institutions alive. They care for patients, teach children, respond to emergencies, create and maintain infrastructure, and produce the goods and services that power our economy. Off the clock, they volunteer in their communities, coach youth sports, mentor young people, and find other ways to give back — showing the same dedication to their neighbors as they do on the job.

Union membership raises wages, improves workplace safety, and ensures workers have a voice in decisions that affect their lives. When workers organize, standards rise for everyone. They are more likely to have health insurance, retirement security, and paid leave. 

Too often, unions are described as outside institutions delivering a service to their members. Unions aren’t outside organizations— they are workers themselves. They are people coming together to improve their workplaces and communities. When workers decide to organize, they are exercising a fundamental democratic right.

Right now, a new generation of workers is stepping forward. Over the past year, employees across a wide range of industries — including nonprofit staff, airport ramp agents, library and park employees, museum workers, reporters, baristas, and manufacturing employees — have joined together to advocate for themselves. From local coffee shops to national chains and major manufacturers, these workers continue the region’s long tradition of organizing. Across sectors and generations, their goal is the same: dignity at work.

Unfortunately, workers organizing for a voice often face aggressive resistance. Large corporations spend millions on anti-union consultants, and even nonprofit employers — organizations that often speak publicly about values like fairness and dignity — are now spending tens of thousands of dollars on similar consultants to fight organizing drives. Workers often face intimidation, threats, or other pressure, including mandatory “captive audience” meetings, election challenges, or disputes over which employees are in the bargaining unit. 

Even after winning representation, securing a first contract can take years — staff at REI, for example, have waited over three years. Nonprofit staff at the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center have waited two years.

Here in Northeast Ohio, one of the most troubling labor disputes is unfolding at Bellefaire JCB. Workers there have long had union representation, but recent management actions eliminated the union for 320 employees — the largest act of union busting in our region’s history, aside from last year’s federal actions under President Trump that affected over a million workers nationally. When people who dedicate their careers to serving vulnerable children are treated this way, it raises a stark question: if organizations built on missions of care and compassion won’t respect workers’ voices, who will?

Cleveland’s workers continue to stand together for dignity, fairness, and a voice on the job. Community members, neighbors, and local leaders all have a role to play in supporting workers’ right to organize and in holding employers accountable. Policymakers can strengthen protections for workers and ensure that the basic right to collectively bargain is respected. 

At the heart of Cleveland’s labor movement are real people — neighbors, friends, and community members — who show up every day to make this region stronger. When these workers have a voice, Cleveland thrives.