Well firstly you must be wondering what a union is and what it can do for you?  

Unions are a team of members usually represented by one person in that team. 
Unions are formed by workers; each industry usually has its own union but they are separated into local groups.  A union is there to help improve and defend wages, make the working conditions better and safer and ensure all the workers receive the benefits and help that they need. 

 Examples of union locals are all the teachers in a local school or all the factory workers for one company. 

The local union groups are part of a bigger union though and united in national federations.
Unions are there because some employers and companies take action that is not in the best interests of their workers and this, more often
than not, leaves workers in a mess of some sort. 

Union members report to their designated union representative and he or she then talks things over with the company to try and sort out the problem.  Union members are very grateful for this service because without unions there would be a lot of unfair play going on in the workplace and no one would be able to speak out about it.

Trade unions began to appear early after the industrial revolution.  Many people that were farming decided to try their hand at factory jobs and were working in disgraceful conditions and were receiving very low wages. 

Employees then started to grow apart from their employers and get minds of their own as the conditions went from bad to worse, along with the pay. 

Unions were often illegal when they first started as employers didn’t like the fact that their workers were standing up for themselves but union members stood their ground. They conducted protests, strikes and battled for equality and fairness in the workplace and because of their struggles and conquests unions are now legal and civilized groups of people doing now what they did then but having more success and power.

Unions attract many more members in the public sector where there are less governing bodies in the workplace.  Union members feel comfortable enough to talk with their union leader if they feel they have a problem with wages or working conditions.  More often than not talks with employers end in success but sometimes union members have to stage what is known as a strike to get their point across. 

Strikes are planned in advance and legal.  After the strikes and the protests employers often see to the needs of their workers before their pockets and come to an agreeable conclusion with the union representative. 

Unions are there to promote fairness at work.  They are helpful groups that provide a lot of information to anyone who needs it and anyone is free to join a union in their workplace.  Union members have benefited greatly from this service and union representatives are always striving for better pay, working conditions and equality in the workplace.