LaborUnions.org
A pro-union jobs board and labor-information hub. This plan covers positioning, pricing, revenue streams, team, and a sustainability-first operating sequence for the site.
Executive summary
LaborUnions.org is a jobs board and labor-information hub — not a new social network. It aggregates union jobs (via spiders, feeds, and posts), union news, and public records (DOL, UnionFacts) into living, verified organization pages. Unions control their own pages through a paid annual verified subscription. The site is explicitly pro-union: its purpose is to celebrate and resource the labor movement. Revenue comes from verified-profile subscriptions, allied advertising from friends of labor, sponsored content, and eventually events and awards. The path is sustainability first, profitability second.
1 · Positioning & value
LaborUnions.org is a pro-union jobs and labor-information hub. It is not a social platform — people have enough places to post. It is a service to the labor movement.
What it is
- • A job board and aggregator of union jobs (spiders + feeds + posts).
- • A labor news and information hub.
- • Verified organization pages unions control.
- • A resource for candidates & campaigns learning about labor.
- • A permanent love letter to the labor movement.
What it is not
- • Not a new social network.
- • Not anti-union; no union-busting advertisers.
- • Not a replacement for union ATS systems — it aggregates them.
- • Not Google-Ad funded — only allied, friends-of-labor ads.
Audiences served & value offered:
- Unions: a verified, controlled, always-updated public page; jobs reach a movement-aligned audience; automatic feeds reduce manual work.
- Job seekers: one board for labor-movement careers — national, regional, local, internships.
- Candidates & campaigns: a way to learn about unions, organizations, and how to work with labor.
- Allied organizations: a trusted, mission-aligned place to reach the labor community.
2 · Verified-profile pricing
Unions take over and control their page through an annual verified subscription. Verification requires an official email domain, a website listing, or a LinkedIn showing their official role.
How verification works: a union representative proves their role (email domain, website, or LinkedIn) → we grant verified status & page control → they refresh and curate the page annually. Feeds (news, jobs) keep the page current automatically between renewals.
Model comparison
Two structures fit the verified subscription. We recommend the membership-size model — it is fairer (scales with a union's capacity and the value of reach) and avoids penalizing locals of large nationals. The org-type model is simpler to explain but can feel arbitrary.
| Dimension | By membership size | By org type |
|---|---|---|
| Fairness | Scales with capacity | Locals of big nationals overpay |
| Simplicity | One lookup table | Vanity: "national/state/local" |
| Revenue fit | Captures value at each tier | May undercharge large locals |
| Recommendation | Primary model | Fallback / hybrid ceiling |
Recommended tiers — by union membership size (annual)
- Verified page control
- Auto news + job feeds
- Listing in directory
- Everything in Local
- Featured job placement
- Logo on org cards
- Everything in Medium
- Sponsored content slot
- Priority feed support
- Everything in Large
- Homepage feature rotation
- Dedicated account contact
Org-type fallback (hybrid ceiling)
| National union | $5,000/yr |
| State federation | $1,500/yr |
| Local union | $500/yr |
| Adjacent / allied org | $1,000/yr |
Hybrid: use membership tier, but cap so no national pays below $5,000 and no local pays above $750 unless it opts into regional.
Pricing research & validation (before locking prices)
- • Benchmark vs. UnionJobs.com listings and partner-job-board pricing.
- • Survey 20 union comms/HR directors on willingness-to-pay by tier.
- • Test a launch cohort (10 verified unions) at proposed tiers; adjust after 90 days.
- • Confirm federation/AFL-CIO appetite for bulk verified status for affiliates.
3 · Revenue streams
Verified subscriptions are the foundation. Around them we layer allied advertising, sponsored content, and (later) events. Everything passes a pro-union mission screen.
Verified-profile subscriptions (primary)
Annual recurring revenue from unions controlling their page. See pricing above. This is the sustainability anchor.
Job access, feeds & spiders
Verified unions' jobs are included free. Paid options: featured job placement ($150/post or included in tier), and feed-management/ATS integration for unions that want an editorial layer (separate planning doc). Third-party/allied employers pay per featured job.
Allied advertising (friends of labor)
Mission-screened advertisers only — pro-union vendors, union-made, organizing tools, legal, insurance, travel. No Google ads, no anti-union firms. Pricing: $500–$2,500/month sponsors (sidebar/jobs/home), or CPM for allies. Launch-phase twist: "thank you, unions" shoutouts at a low rate to seed goodwill.
Sponsored content & love letters
Permanent "love letter to labor" shoutouts in an event-program feel — allies thank and celebrate unions. Tiered: shoutout ($250), feature article ($750–$1,500). Union-serving content the site curates and publishes.
Events & awards (later phase)
Annual labor awards, sponsored convenings, ticketed training. These activate the community and create sponsorship inventory once the base is sustainable.
Revenue to avoid
- • Google Ads / programmatic (no control over advertisers).
- • Anti-union, union-busting, or neutral-on-labor firms.
- • Employer-side fees that gate union members from jobs.
- • Selling member data.
4 · Team & responsibilities
A lean team phased in as revenue and workload grow. Start with direction + management; add sales/events and training next.
Director, LaborUnions.org
Owns vision, union relationships, verification, editorial tone, and the pro-union mission screen. First hire.
Web / App / AI manager
Runs the spiders, feeds, ATS integrations, page maintenance, and AI-assisted enrichment. Keeps content fresh automatically.
Sales & events lead
Sells verified subscriptions and allied advertising; builds the events/awards pipeline; runs sponsor outreach.
Training director
Builds training for unions on using their page, feeds, and the ATS; develops the program behind events and awards.
5 · Marketing & sales program
Three audiences, one pro-union message: the directory and job board that serves the movement.
Internal
- • Monthly sustainability dashboard (subs, ads, jobs).
- • Quarterly milestones toward break-even.
Funders
- • Mission-first pitch: a pro-union service.
- • Pilot cohort + pricing-validation evidence.
Customers
- • Free verified page for pilot cohort.
- • "Control your page, reach the movement."
Outreach activities & milestones
- • Recruit a 10-union pilot cohort within 60 days; waive first-year fees for feedback.
- • Launch allied-advertising with "thank you, unions" shoutouts to seed goodwill.
- • Direct outreach to 20 national/state union comms directors.
- • Publish the love letter to labor + link to GAINPower from the About page.
- • Reach 50 verified unions within 6 months; 500 monthly job-board visits.
6 · Path to sustainability
Baseline (now)
Public directory, jobs from spiders, beta. No paid subscriptions yet. Fix Stripe + GSC. Seed content.
Verified subscriptions launch
Pilot cohort, verification flow, pricing locked after validation. Target: 50 verified unions / ~$60k ARR.
Allies & sponsored content
Friends-of-labor ads + love-letter shoutouts. Featured jobs for allied employers. Sustainability reached.
Events & profitability
Awards, convenings, training program. Move from sustainable to profitable while staying a service to unions.