Buying Union-Made Can Bring Holiday Cheer and Good Jobs

The holiday season is a time to show your loved ones how much you care about them. For many, that includes giving them the perfect present. While selecting something that’s just right for your spouse, children, parents or other relatives and close friends can be a challenge, making sure your presents are made by workers who are treated fairly can add to the stress of making the right choice.

That’s where the AFL-CIO Union Plus holiday buying guide can come to the rescue. While they can’t tell you what the perfect gift is for your spouse, they can steer you to union-made products to choose from to make the buying process easier. You can also get some great discounts as a union member if you have the Union Plus savings card. With the card, you get a bonus from being a union member by gaining access to valuable, discounted products and services only available to working families in unions. Discounts are achieved by the strength of the program’s purchasing power of more than 13 million union members giving them leverage to bargain for good programs and items at competitive prices for scholarships, travel discounts, auto insurance, legal service and more. Using their union-made list to choose gifts for everyone on your holiday-buying list assures that they are made in fair working conditions by union workers.

The possibilities cover a list of interests as varied as the people on your gift list. If you’re going big on the spending this year there’s always a new car to give to that special someone. Use the UAW’s 2017 Union-Built Vehicle Guide at uaw. org/uaw-made/cars/ to make sure the vehicle is made by UAW members or Unifor union members in Canada. The products they make also support the jobs of thousands of UAW members who manufacture auto parts.

When entertaining, make sure you buy UAW-made groceries such as beer made by Local 9 members in Wisconsin in Region 4, or UAW 2308 in Ohio in Region 2B who work at Miller Brewing, or rum produced by Bacardi workers from Local 2415 in Puerto Rico in Region 9A. Make sure it’s Land O’Lakes butter in those holiday cookies made by Local 70 members in Region 2B, or Perry’s Ice Cream made by UAW members of Local 55 in western New York state in Region 9. Serve up hot coffee from Folger’s made by Local 1805 in Louisiana in Region 5 and use dairy products made by our brothers and sisters at Country Fresh, Local 174 in Michigan, Region 1A. Don’t forget the Planters Peanuts made by Local 2426 members in Suffolk, Virginia, in Region 8. Or you could treat yourself to some fine Lloyd Flanders wicker furniture crafted by the workers from UAW Local 413 in Menominee, Michigan, in Region 1D.

For the activist you want to remember, order a subscription to Mother Jones magazine, produced by UAW Local 2103 members in California in Region 5.

Holiday time is time for toys and union members have you covered. Members of the RWDSU/UFCW (Retail, Wholesale & Department Store Union / United Food and Commercial Workers International Union) make these toy and game favorites great for children of all ages on your list: Barrel of Monkeys, Battleship, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Clue, Connect 4, Game of Life, Hi Ho Cherry-O, Monopoly, Mouse Trap, Operation, Pictionary, Risk, Scrabble, Sorry, Taboo, Twister and Yahtzee.

Don’t forget union-made beauty products as either gifts or stocking stuffers, too. UFCW members make Avon, Caress, Dove and Old Spice health and beauty products and UAW members make Revlon makeup.

Maybe it’s a good time to buy new clothes for that distinguishing man on your list. Pick up those new threads at Brooks Brothers for clothes made by UNITE HERE members. If a Timex watch is in someone’s future, buying one is a great way to support fellow union members at IAM (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union).

Or how about sports equipment like golf clubs for the golf enthusiast on your gift buying list? Buy union-made MacGregor Golf clubs made by members of IBB members (International Brotherhood of Boilermakers).

These are just a few of the products made by UAW members and other union members. For complete lists of union-made products go to the UAW-made buying list at uaw.org/union-made or the AFL-CIO’s holiday gift buying guide at bit.ly/2gPpvEO. Buy union and enjoy the holiday season!

Joan Silvi