The 10 Best Union Jobs

Unions were instrumental in the establishment of workplace culture and labor laws as they fought to make their members’ jobs safer and better paying. Unions still represent workers to businesses, bargaining for safer work environments, better job security, and better benefits for their members.

Due to the fact that unions have been a major force in the labor market for many years, there are a lot of different union jobs, even if not everyone doing the job is a member. While it’s hard to say with complete certainty which jobs are the best union jobs, here are 10 careers that have unions you can join.

Key Takeaways:

• The benefits of being in a union include:

  • Higher wages and better benefits

  • Safer working conditions

  • Job security

  • More training opportunities

• You can usually find union jobs in the local government, protective service jobs, and education jobs.

• Three of the top union jobs are teacher, firefighter, and police officer.

10 of the best union jobs

If you’re interested in a career that has a union you can join, then you have a good number of options. Union jobs are often skilled positions, but several service industries have been pushing to unionize, meaning that your options for union jobs are likely to expand over the coming years.

1. Teacher

   Average Annual Salary: $46,000

   This is one of the best unions to join, as being able to get tenure grants tremendous job security. There is a shortage of teachers at the moment, meaning that you’ll likely be able to get a get a job teaching relatively easily.

   Teachers guide their students and impart the necessary knowledge to be successful in society. You’ll end up working a lot of hours, between the teaching itself, lesson planning, and working with parents and school administrators.

   Requirements needed: A bachelor’s degree, completion of a state-approved teacher education program, a successful background check, and passage of a general teacher certification or licensure exam.

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2. Firefighter

   Average Annual Salary: $39,000

   As firefighting is a dangerous career, there’s a strong union. While many firefighters are volunteers, a significant number work in this role as full-time employees. Firefighters are first responders who rush to put out fires in homes, businesses, cars, or forests or fields.

   Firefighters are trained in putting out fires and rescue people or animals from them. Because they are trained in rescues, they often respond to non-fire-related emergencies and natural disasters that could use this extraction expertise.

   They also perform fire safety inspections, educate their communities on fire safety, and even provide emergency medical assistance.

   Requirements needed: To become a firefighter, you’ll need to earn your high school diploma or GED and pass a firefighting examination, including a fitness test, a medical evaluation, and an interview panel. You’ll also usually need your emergency medical technician license, and some departments require a degree in fire science as well.

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3. Police Officer

   Average Annual Salary: $47,000

   The police union is still incredibly strong, making it one of the best unions to be a part of. Police officers spend a lot of time out patrolling and responding to calls, making it an active career. That being said, there are a lot of rule and regulations to follow, as well as a lot of paperwork to fill out.

   Requirements needed: To be a police officer you’ll need to graduate from the police academy. The training involves physical fitness, how to negotiate effectively, safety and security techniques, and how to remain calm and compassionate during chaotic and traumatic situations.

   You’ll also need to understand the law, which will be covered at the academy, or can be learned with an associate degree in criminal justice, criminology, or law enforcement.

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4. Carpenter

   Average Annual Salary: $41,000

   If you love working with your hands, a job as a carpenter might be a great fit for you. Carpenters can do everything from framing houses to building cabinetry, and they can work in various settings. Many work for construction companies, while others work independently for smaller organizations.

   Requirements needed: To become a carpenter, you’ll need a high school diploma or GED and then need to complete either a trade school carpentry program or an apprenticeship – sometimes both.

   As an apprentice, you’ll work for a few years under the supervision of a master carpenter. Some programs accept candidates with little to no carpentry experience, while others want you to have a professional or technical certification, so be sure to research the options in your area.

   After completing your apprenticeship, you’ll be a journeyman carpenter and work independently as an employee. With more work and training, you can become a master carpenter, which opens up more options for owning your own company or being in a leadership position.

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5. Auto Mechanic

   Average Annual Salary: $36,000

   Automotive mechanics (also called service technicians) is another skilled trade, meaning that you can join a union. Mechanics inspect, fix, and maintain cars. They can do everything from changing the oil to replacing the engine and car body parts, and they can work for privately owned garages or car dealerships.

   Requirements needed: To become an automotive mechanic, you’ll need to earn your high school diploma or GED, complete a technical or trade school automotive mechanic program, and finish an apprenticeship. Sometimes you can combine the last two steps, so look into different options in your area.

   After you complete your apprenticeship, you’ll be able to continue your training and education to become a master mechanic if you so choose. This can be an invaluable certification if you ever want a leadership position or start your own automotive repair shop.

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6. Electrician

   Average Annual Salary: $49,000

   Like almost all the skilled trades, electricians have a union to join. Most of your workday would involve wiring and repairing electrical systems for homes or commercial buildings. Due to the differences between residential and commercial systems, most electricians specialize in one or the other.

   If you enjoy using a little bit of math, solving problems, and using your hands, you might find this role fulfilling. Many electricians work on buildings, but others work on machines, motors, and power plants if you’re more interested in that area.

   Requirements needed: Many electricians complete trade or technical school programs during or after high school. This gives them the base knowledge they need to work as apprentices, where they’ll act as employees for a company but will only work under the supervision of a more experienced electrician for a few years.

   Once they complete this process, they’ll have the work experience they need to work independently as journeymen electricians and earn their master electrician status if they desire. This allows them to own their own companies or take on more managerial positions.

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7. Airline Pilot

   Average Annual Salary: $67,000

   Airline pilots are one of the highest paying union jobs out there. There’s a lot of training and education that goes into becoming a licensed pilot, which is why the job is well compensated. Pilots are responsible for the plane they fly, the crew, cargo, and any passengers, which places them in a position of trust.

   Requirements needed: You’ll first need a bachelor’s degree in aviation or another FAA-approved field, and then you’ll need to get your private pilot’s license. Once you do that, you’ll obtain your instrument rating, which will teach you how to interact with air traffic control and fly in various weather conditions.

   After that, you’ll need to get your commercial pilot license and a series of other certifications that include a multi-engine rating and airline transport pilot certification. Once you have all of these and have logged your required number of flight hours, you’re eligible to become an airline pilot.

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8. Steelworker

   Average Annual Salary: $37,000

   Steelworkers are one of the most heavily unionized careers in the United States. Steelworkers are experts in steel. They shape steel to create support structures for buildings, bridges, and roads. You’ll need to be willing to work at great heights and spend most of your time outdoors in demanding physical conditions.
   Steelworkers are skilled tradespeople, which means they have to complete an apprenticeship before working as full-blown employees. They’ll get to work on real-life projects during this time but will be supervised by a more experienced worker and won’t be paid as much – kind of like an intern.

   Requirements needed: To be a steelworker you will need to be a minimum age of 18 years old and have a high school diploma or GED equivalent. You should love working with your hands and with heavy-duty equipment. You should also have excellent communication and teamwork skills, as you’ll need them to ensure you’re working safely and efficiently and are accurately following the plans for the structure you’re building.

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9. Machinist

   Average Annual Salary: $42,000

   For a career that doesn’t require a college degree, machinists are a high paying union job. There are a multitude of different machinists with different areas of expertise, but they can all join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), which is a highly diverse labor union.

   Machinists usually work in machine shops and manufacturing facilities, often in aerospace, automotive manufacturing, and engineering industries. They’re skilled tradespeople who understand materials and how the machining process works.

   Requirements needed: There aren’t any formal education requirements to become a machinist. However, you’ll need to do 6 to 12 months of job training. There are various certifications machinists can get, and it’s recommended you get one related to your field.

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10. Welder

    Average Annual Salary: $33,000

    Welders know how to fuse a wide variety of metal parts, whether that’s a pipe or an I-beam. They can work on buildings, bridges, power plants, cars, or even ships – anything with a significant amount of metal construction.

    Becoming a welder takes hard work, especially if you eventually want to own your own company or do specialized jobs like underwater welding. The good news is that there are a lot of pathways that you can take to reach your professional goals.

    Requirements needed: Technical or community colleges and trade schools often offer welding programs, even some designated welding schools. In addition, some companies offer on-the-job training programs and apprenticeships that you can add to these certificate programs, while others will provide your classroom training as a part of your apprenticeship.

    If you want to become extremely specialized so that you can weld items such as medical devices or airplanes, you can even complete a bachelor’s or master’s degree in welding.

    Find Welder jobs near me

What is a union?

A labor or trade union is an organization of workers who collaborate to ensure their pay, conditions, and hours are reasonable and protected. Many of them also work to establish and uphold safety and trade standards.

Unions can be both national and international organizations, with the international ones span North America. Many of them have local branches, making it easier for their members to find support and training.

Some jobs are covered by unions even if the particular person who holds that job hasn’t officially joined the union. This allows unions to make sure every position in that industry is held to a similar standard, whether the individual becomes a member or not.

In this article, we’ll focus on those who have joined a union themselves. All of the statistics used in this article are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and refer to 2019.

Benefits of joining a union

There are many benefits to joining a union, though it isn’t entirely without negative aspects. The purpose of a labor union is to represent their members to the company they work for and make sure that they’re being treated fairly.

1. Union members often make higher wages and better benefits. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2019, non-union members’ median weekly wages were 81% of those of union members.

   While this doesn’t mean that all union members will automatically make more than non-members, there is a greater possibility of better pay within a union since they set standards for payment and will often advocate for workers to receive health care and other benefits.

2. Unions ensure better and safer working conditions and hours. Because an organized group packs a harder punch than an individual does, unions set standards for companies that employ their members in order to make sure they have a good quality of life at their jobs and the ability to take a break from their work.

3. Union members often have better job security than non-members. Unions make it more difficult for companies to fire their members, resulting in better job security for those workers.

   This can often make it more difficult for companies to promote workers as well, but many people find the job security worth this sacrifice.

4. Unions often provide training opportunities. Unions often use their members’ dues to create facilities and opportunities for their members to learn a new skill or improve the ones they already have.

   For example, welders often need a place to practice in order to maintain or earn their advanced certifications, and unions can provide that for them.

5. Unions have a louder voice than individuals do. While it’s all too easy for an individual’s complaint or request to go unheard at large companies, those same companies have a much more difficult time ignoring the demands of an organized union.

   Being a part of a union gives those workers a voice to demand that their employers treat them fairly.

Who typically belongs to a union?

As of 2019, there were 14.6 million union members in the U.S., which is 10.3% of all wage and salary workers in the country. Of those union members, there are twice as many who work in full-time positions than there are who hold part-time jobs.

While every state has union members, Hawaii and New York had the highest union membership rates in 2019, while North and South Carolina had the lowest.

Unions represent people from nearly every demographic, but there are a few categories that make up the majority of members. Membership rates are highest among men, workers ages 45 to 64, and Black employees, followed by white workers, then Asian and Hispanic employees.

Top 10 industries for highest union membership rates

If you’d like to work in an industry where it’s easy to get a union job, read on to find a list of industries with the highest percentages of union members:

1. Local Government. 39.4% of people who work in local government are union members. These positions include a wide variety of government administrators and support staff, so if you’re offered one of these positions, there’s a good chance it will be a union job.

2. Protective Services. Workers who fall under the category of protective services include police officers, firefighters, and correctional officers. 33.8% of people who work in these areas are union members.

3. Education, Training, and Library Occupations. Whether you’re a public school teacher or a librarian, 33.1% of people in your industry belong to a union.

4. State Government. If you’re interested in getting a union job and want to work in government, you’ll find fewer union members in state government jobs than you will in local government. 29.4% of state government employees are union members, which is considerably lower than local government workers but still a respectable number.

5. Federal Government. At 25.6%, the percentage of federal government employees who are union members isn’t far off from that of state government officials.

6. Utilities. If you work in electricity, natural gas, trash collection, water treatment, or other utility services, 23.4% of your colleagues will be union members.

7. Construction and Extraction. When people think of union members, many think of construction workers. This is merited, with 17.4% of employees in this industry belonging to a union.

8. Transportation and Warehousing. Whether you drive a truck, move and stock supplies, or hold another job in this industry, 16.1% of the workers around you are union members.

9. Community and Social Services. Counselors, therapists, social workers, clergy, and other employees of religious organizations all fall under this category, with 15.6% belonging to a union.

10. Installation, Maintenance, and Repair. This industry category encompasses technicians who work to repair and maintain vehicles, planes, homes, factory and medical equipment, and those who install and fix power lines, HVAC systems, and electronics.

    14.2% of workers in this industry are union members, securing their spot in the top ten industries for the highest union member rates.

Other industries that typically have a large number of union jobs include healthcare, media and entertainment (screenwriting, acting, and directing), and manufacturing.

Top 10 industries for highest union membership rates

If you want to move somewhere that will give you a higher chance of finding a union job, these are the states with the highest rates of membership in 2019:

1. Hawaii – 23.5%

2. New York – 21%

3. Washington – 18.8%

4. Rhode Island – 17.4%

5. Alaska – 17.1%

6. New Jersey – 15.7%

7. California – 15.2%

8. Nevada – 14.6%

9. Connecticut – 14.5%

10. Oregon – 14.4%

Ways to find a union job

Finding a job with a union is not unlike finding any other job. You just have to know where to look. There are a few ways to do this:

1. Search for union jobs on job boards. You can often find union jobs on the same websites where you’d look for other positions. Just make sure you include the fact that you want a union job in your search, whether you do that through a filter or in your search query.

   Most employers aren’t going to try to hide the fact that the position they’re listing is a union job, so doing a search like this should bring up more than a few options.

2. Ask your local or industry unions. Sometimes companies prefer to rely on word of mouth to get them the candidates they need instead of posting open positions on a job board.

   As a result, talking to a union that either works in your community or in your industry may be helpful in finding a position. At the very least, they can usually tell you which companies they’d recommend you talk to or keep your eye on for job openings.

3. Join an apprenticeship program. For many of the trades, it’s vital that you have an apprenticeship in order to learn the ropes. If you know what industry you want to go into but aren’t sure what you need to do to get there, look for an apprenticeship program.

   This will allow you to train under an expert and get your foot in the door with a company. It also gives you the experience you need to land a job on your own in the future.

4. Check the Union Jobs Clearinghouse website. A national organization, the Union Jobs Clearinghouse website has many job listings and other resources that may be helpful for finding a position. It also has information about apprenticeships.

Union Jobs FAQ

1. What are the benefits of having a union job?

The primary benefit of a union job is that the union advocates for its members. This includes negotiations for higher pay, better benefits, and more jobs security. Unions have more power to negotiate because they speak for all the workers they represent, rather than just as an individual.

Unions also have representatives that will advocate on your behalf in the case of you being laid off or fired, accused of improper conduct, or being demoted. If the attempt to fire you is unjust, then the advocate will fight to prevent it from happening.

2. Where can you get a job with a union?

If you want a union job, it’s best to look in industries that have strong unions. Trades, factory workers, police officers, firefighters, nurses, and teachers all have well known unions. There are also the Teamsters, which represent deliver workers, and many other unions besides.

3. How do I join a union?

If you get a job in a career that has union workers, you can join the union. Being part of a union requires paying union dues and agreeing to comply if the union chooses to go on strike.

Final thoughts

Unions can be traced back to the 18th century when a group of tailors went on the first strike and when, a few years later, a group of shoemakers began the Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers.

Since then, unions have continued to form and work to protect against child labor, implement pricing and wage standards, and establish work hour limits, mainly during the Industrial Revolution.

Although often controversial, unions have made great strides in protecting workers in various industries from unfair wages, unsafe working conditions, and unreasonable hours.

Author

Abby McCain

Abby is a writer who is passionate about the power of story. Whether it’s communicating complicated topics in a clear way or helping readers connect with another person or place from the comfort of their couch. Abby attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she earned a degree in writing with concentrations in journalism and business.