The 40-hour work week, overtime pay and weekends? That came from unions, not billionaires.

Editor’s note: The AFL-CIO national convention is in Minnesota this week. See our coverage here and here. 

Construction workers learned recently that they were owed $1.28 million in wages and damages after a years-long pattern of wage theft came to light. The development was tied to Minnesota’s Wilf family, owners of the Minnesota Vikings. 

The reason those workers saw justice is simple: Unions, backed by attorneys and worker advocates, stepped in and helped them fight back and recover what they were owed. 

When a billionaire tells you a union is bad for you, that’s not advice. That’s a signal that you’re onto something that actually works.

We’re living through one of the most inequitable periods in American economic history, and Minnesota is not exempt. The wealthiest 1% of Minnesotans own nearly a third of our wealth. Despite the state’s great economy, our persistent racial wealth gap is still on the rise. 

Corporations are posting record profits, CEOs are collecting eight-figure bonuses, and working people who make it all happen are falling farther behind. This is no accident.

It’s the result of deliberate choices. 

Start with what corporations do when workers try to organize. Every year, they spend more than $400 million to stop workers from forming unions. They force workers into mandatory “captive audience” meetings where managers read from scripts designed to scare people out of organizing. And, too often, they illegally fire workers who speak up, betting they can drag out the legal process long enough to avoid real consequences.

If unions didn’t work, they wouldn’t fight this hard to stop them. 

At the same time, these companies are making very clear decisions about where their money goes. In 2025, S&P 500 companies spent more than $1 trillion on stock buybacks, boosting share prices for investors instead of investing in the people who actually generate that wealth.

Then they turn around and say there’s nothing left for raises.

Safety tells the same story. On too many non-union job sites and in too many corners of the economy, workers are treated like disposable inputs rather than human beings. When companies prioritize speed and profit over safety, people get hurt. Injuries become line items. Lives become margins.

Unions change that equation.

We take people who are ready to work hard and give them paid training opportunities that segue directly into family-sustaining careers, and help them network with local employers who play by the rules, and make sure they come home safe to their families every single day. 

Those local employers get access to the best-trained workers, making this system a win-win for everyone.

Through collective bargaining, workers are securing better wages, safer conditions and real benefits, not just for themselves, but for entire industries. Union standards raise the floor for everyone. That’s why even non-union employers often follow union wage trends.

And unions don’t just fight for today’s workers. They invest in the future. Programs like our Finishing Trades Institute of the Upper Midwest train the next generation with paid apprenticeships, hands-on education, and a direct path to a middle-class career. 

We create real pathways to opportunities.

Every major gain working people have made, including the 40-hour workweek, overtime pay, and weekends, came from workers standing together, not from corporate generosity.

The fight does not stop at the job site, however. Too often, politicians side with corporate interests over the people they represent. Workers need leaders who are willing to stand up to that pressure and fight for fair wages, safe jobs, and the right to organize.

Because the truth is simple. The people at the top of this economy are hoarding wealth and convincing workers we have less power than we actually do.

The one force that has consistently proven otherwise is organized labor.

They know it. That is why they fight us so hard.