“Live better. Work Union” is more than just a slogan. It’s a fact, and not just for workers. Studies of how unions affect workers and their employers show that the benefits of unionization go far beyond the obvious one of higher wages.

Professor Richard Freeman of Harvard University is a leading authority who has studied the issue for years. He says unions perform a wide range of valuable economic functions.

Freeman demonstrates that unions contribute to higher levels of job satisfaction and improve workers’ loyalty to their employers, which lowers the number of people quitting to go elsewhere. This reduces company hiring and training costs, which leads to more employee training and better skills. A well-trained workforce becomes more productive, increasing profits and making our economy better able to compete in the world marketplace.

It’s not quite that simple, but you get the idea. Unions have benefits for everyone.