united services union

What united services union does

The United Services Union (USU) is an Australian trade union, registered with ABN 95 571 805 442, representing workers in four primary sectors across New South Wales: local government (councils), energy and utilities, airlines, and private sector clerical/administrative roles. The union traces its origins to the Municipal Employees' Union, which was rebranded as USU in 1999, and operates as a member-owned, non-profit organisation affiliated with the national Australian Services Union (ASU). Headquartered at Level 7, 321 Pitt Street, Sydney, USU maintains three regional offices (Metro Branch Sydney, Northern Region Rutherford, Southern Region Newcastle) plus a dedicated Energy & Utilities, Private Sector and Airlines Branch, with field organisers deployed across NSW, VIC, QLD, SA/NT, and WA.

USU's core service is collective bargaining and industrial representation, delivered through enterprise agreement negotiations, award coverage enforcement, and proceedings before the NSW Industrial Relations Commission and the Federal Court. Ancillary member services include free legal representation (USU Lawyers), delegate training programs (USU@Work, Delegate Basics), member benefits (Vision Super partnership, Journey to Work Insurance, holiday discounts, Union Shopper, free wills, ASU Launchpad), the seasonally published United Magazine, and reference groups (USU Women, New Gen Committee, Retired Members Club). Governance is led by General Secretary Graeme Kelly OAM and President Glen McAtear.

Revenue is generated exclusively through member subscription dues, with current rates published at usu.org.au/our-rates-2026/. Acquisition channels include a website self-service join form, phone support (1300 136 604), regional offices, in-workplace organisers, and a $50 "Sign Up a Mate" referral program. USU has no parent company, no external ownership, and no disclosed investments or subsidiaries.

Name

united services union

Legal name

United Services Union

Website

https://usu.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The United Services Union is a NSW-based Australian trade union representing tens of thousands of workers across local government, energy and utilities, airlines, and private sector clerical roles, delivering collective bargaining, legal representation, training, and member benefits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

United Services Union is a NSW-based trade union representing individual workers in local government, energy & utilities, private sector clerical/administrative roles, and airlines through collective membership. The union negotiates enterprise agreements, provides workplace legal representation, runs delegate training, and offers member benefits such as superannuation partnership (Vision Super), insurance, and discounts. Funding is generated through member subscriptions, with services delivered via regional offices, an online member portal, and workplace organizers.

Product overview

United Services Union (USU) is a membership-based labor union offering a comprehensive suite of services for workers in local government, energy & utilities, clerical/administrative, and airlines sectors. The core offering is union membership providing industrial representation and advocacy, supported by ancillary services including legal help, training programs, member benefits (Vision Super, insurance, discounts), and the United Magazine journal. Services are delivered through an online member portal (members.usu.org.au), local branch offices, and direct organizer support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Union Membership Core membership service providing representation, support, and advocacy for workers in local government, energy & utilities, clerical/administrative, and airlines sectors across NSW, Australia. Members pay dues to access representation, legal help, and benefits.
• Legal Help Services Legal assistance and representation service by USU lawyers providing members with workplace legal support, advice on employment matters, industrial disputes, and workplace rights, including free wills for members.
• USU Training Training programs for union delegates and workplace representatives, including Delegate Basics and USU@Work courses, providing workplace organizing and representation skills.
• Industrial Relations Services Industrial support including enterprise agreement negotiations, award coverage, and representation in workplace disputes and the NSW Industrial Relations Commission.
• Workplace Support Workplace support services including delegate networks, reference groups (USU Women, New Gen Committee, Retired Members Club), and direct organizer assistance for members.
• United Magazine Official union journal published seasonally covering union news, campaigns, member stories, and industry updates.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8-year campaign resulted in Federal Funding Compact with Australian Councils for increased local government funding
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Vision Super (Active Super)coreOthersActive Super is a top-performing superannuation fund partnered with USU, ranked among the best-performing funds that invests members' money responsibly. USU promotes Active Super as a member benefit for superannuation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Australian Services Union: National affiliate and parent union of which USU is a NSW branch. ASU covers similar clerical, administrative, and public-sector workers nationally, providing the same collective bargaining, industrial representation, and member services model across all Australian states.
• Australian Workers' Union: Large national Australian union covering blue-collar and service workers across construction, manufacturing, aviation, and local government. AWU competes with USU in airport ground services, council outdoor workers, and energy/utilities representation, and is a key bargaining counterpart to many of the same employers (Qantas, Virgin, council employers).

Direct peers

• Public Service Association of NSW: Direct NSW peer representing NSW government sector employees across administrative, professional, and operational roles. PSA competes with USU for the same NSW council, agency, and government enterprise agreements and shares the same industrial-relations infrastructure (NSW IRC, NSW Industrial Relations framework).
• United Workers Union: National Australian union formed from merger of United Voice, National Union of Workers, and Australian Workers' Union (Victorian branch). UWU represents workers in similar sectors — local government, energy, airlines, cleaning, and clerical — and directly competes with USU for the same enterprise agreements and memberships across NSW.
• Electrical Trades Union: Australian union covering electrical, energy, and utilities workers. ETU overlaps directly with USU's representation at Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy, Essential Energy, and Transgrid and competes for the same enterprise agreements across NSW energy distribution employers.

Regional players

• Transport Workers Union: Australian union representing transport, aviation, and logistics workers including airline ground crews. TWU overlaps with USU's airline vertical at Qantas, Virgin, and Jetstar and competes for ground-services membership in NSW and across Australia.
• Civil Service Association of Western Australia: Western Australian public-sector union covering clerical, administrative, and government workers. CSA is structurally analogous to USU but operates only in WA, providing a regional benchmark for membership model, dues structure, and member benefits in the same union category.

Emerging players

• Australian and International Pilots Association: Specialist Australian pilot union that competes with USU/ASU-affiliated coverage at Qantas, Virgin, Jetstar, and Rex. While AIPA focuses on flight-deck professionals rather than USU's check-in and guest-services membership, both unions negotiate parallel enterprise agreements with the same airline employers.
• Professionals Australia: Australian union representing professional, technical, and managerial workers including engineers, town planners, and similar roles present in USU's local-government segment. While USU represents these roles within NSW councils, Professionals Australia competes for the same professional cohorts across other sectors.

Others

• Australian Municipal, Administrative, Clerical and Services Union: Historical predecessor entity that merged into the modern ASU structure. ASU maintains municipal and local-government representation nationally, overlapping with USU's NSW local government membership through the same ASU national affiliation framework.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-services-union

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about united services union