While documenting our failing labor law system is crucial making the case for reform, sometimes I have to take a step back. We still need to convince the broader public that unions play a vital role in today’s economy. 

Fresh from the national conference of the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA), I'm armed with more examples of how unions work to benefit a community larger than their own members:

• A partnership between union members and the Veterans Health Administration allowed crucial input from nurses during collective bargaining, enabling the smooth introduction of a computerized system for administering medication. The new system led to a 70 percent reduction in medication errors. 

• At the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, the labor-management partnership improved quality of care by allowing increased input from front-line workers. Results included a decline in hospital-borne infections and a decrease in response time to patients in trauma.

• Then there’s the untold story of the AFL-CIO's Gulf Coast project. The $1 billion effort to revitalize and rebuild the post-Hurricane Katrina Gulf Coast is a touching example of unions investing resources where they’re needed most—even in areas with very low union membership.

Still need another reason to believe in this country's labor movement? Just ask renowned economist Paul Krugman:

To have a strong middle class in this society, you need a strong union movement. 

Speaking to the LERA crowd, Krugman lamented that the decline of the labor movement has led to the rise in income inequality and decreased political participation of lower income citizens.  He also asserted that a rebirth in union organizing could strengthen the middle class and "change the political complexion" of the country.