New York CBTU
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists
Black Trade Unions:
• Create Wealth and Stability
• Ensure Political Empowerment
• Preserve Skills and Knowledge across Multiple Generations
The Origins of the CBTU
Black Unions Close the Wealth Gap
Unions play a key role in redressing these large wealth gaps. They increase wealth for all households—no matter their race or ethnicity—and tend to provide larger increases for Black and Hispanic households than for white households.
Black Unions Promote Financial Stability
- Black union workers make more money than nonunion workers. They have better health care insurance & retirement plans, more job security and safer working conditions
- Black households with a union member have a median wealth 3X that of non-union Black households
- By narrowing the gap, Black unions help decrease inequality and benefit the overall economy
Black Unions Provide Political Strength and Solidarity
Black union members are significantly more likely to participate in a range of political activities, and to greater degrees, especially members with less education. Understanding unions’ roles in fostering political activism for Black workers is critical for the growth & maintenance of the labor movement and the Black freedom struggle.
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