As we begin a new calendar year, many will partake in the custom of making a New Year’s resolution. Some will declare that this is the year they will lose weight; others will commit to stop smoking. Maybe you will pledge to reduce stress, save money or take that bucket list trip. The neighborhood gym will be overrun with those hoping to kick off the New Year feeling better about their health. Others will vow to volunteer their time to a charity or get better organized? Presumably, your resolution will seek to improve your overall well-being with a fresh start of sorts or will employ a commitment to help others in some way.

With that spirit, the NPMHU proposes a New Year’s resolution to express your Union solidarity – BUY UNION MADE PRODUCTS IN 2019. We encourage all members, family and friends to join in our resolve to support organized labor by seeking out and purchasing products and services made at the hands of, or provided by, a fellow Union laborer. With consideration to our fragile economy and tumultuous labor climate, we hope you will make a conscious decision to spend your Union wages on Union-made goods. When you Buy Union, you ensure that your hard-earned money is being used to make purchases of quality goods and services. Have you ever traveled the aisles of your neighborhood grocery or department store filling your cart, wondering which product is Union made? The choices are vast. Whether you are purchasing everyday items such food and clothing, household necessities, or making a larger purchase such as an appliance or automobile, you do have the opportunity to buy Union made merchandise. Union products and services are symbols of quality and fair pay and are found everywhere, from washing machines to baked goods, from shoes to beer, from clothing to pet food. They are evidence of quality goods and services produced by proud American workers.

The NPMHU is calling on all members to spend wisely and embrace a New Year’s resolution to support Unions by purchasing Union made products. It’s a win-win arrangement for everyone – labor, management, consumers, and the community, where the economy benefits from the paychecks and taxes of well-paid workers. So, look for the Union label whenever and wherever you can! To support the American labor movement, be sure to ask yourself the following questions when you shop: Do you look for the Union label? Do you try to buy or order “Made in the USA” products when you are making purchases? Do you attempt to have your deliveries made by way of the USPS? Think about it. Would you want your friends and family, or your coworkers, or even people you do not know, to be using non-union means of communications when they could be using the U.S. Mail?

The Union Label and Service Trades Department of the AFL-CIO was created to promote the products and services produced in America by union members. The AFL-CIO also maintains and publishes a “Don’t Buy” list of companies being boycotted and the products and services involved; you can access that list at the AFL-CIO sponsored website www.unionlabel.org.

The Union Label and Service Trades Department has also developed a new mobile app. The app is your source for news and information from the department. Within the app, you can search for union-made products and services. As well, you can quickly find the latest boycott information, copies of our newsletter, and a handy form to add your union-made product(s) or service to help other union members to buy union. We will also alert you to breaking news and important information when you allow “push notifications.”

In addition, the NPMHU maintains a link on our home page at www.npmhu.org entitled Buy Union – Buy American. This source provides many links to a plethora of American and Union-made products. Support the Union movement by patronizing Union brands and Made in America products in 2019.