Few, if any workers under union contracts in Oregon are paid the minimum wage. Organized labor’s role in raising the minimum wage demonstrates a commitment to boosting standards for all workers, not just union members. Like the bumper sticker says: “The weekend: brought to you by the labor movement.”

Yet another reason to support the Employee Free Choice Act — the right of workers to organize is a plus for workers even in workplaces that don’t choose to unionize. The more organized workers are, the better off all workers are.

I’ve been thinking about unions since re-reading Fast Food Nation last month (after seeing Food Inc), where Eric Schlosser talks in detail about the effects of union-busting on the food industry: specifically fast food workers and the slaughterhouse workers. I had to put down the book a few times as he talked about the deaths of workers in slaugherhouses and the changes to the meatpacking industry as it has switched to a mostly non-union workforce since the 1980s.

On so many levels, it’s true: workers need unions, and every worker, whether or not they want to be in a union, can support the right to organize for all workers. Take a minute to sign onto the “Million Member” campaign to show Congress that Americans support union choices for all workers.

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