PURPOSE To understand why workers choose to join unions and how unions have made differences in certain industries. EXERCISE Visit the AFL-CIO website (aficio.org) and find information about why workers join unions and what the benefits have been. 1. Explain how union membership has affected minorities, women, older workers, and part-time workers. 2. The AFL-CIO site presents the union's perspective on labor issues. Look at the key issues and check sources such as the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation (nrtw.org) that support management's perspectives and compare their positions on these issues