Unions could improve workplace policies for millions of working families if Employee Free Choice Act becomes law

A new report from the UC Berkeley Labor Center and the Labor Project for Working Families shows how unions make workplaces more family-friendly:

• Workers in unions are more likely to have heard of the Family and Medical Leave Act, have fewer worries about taking leave, and are more likely to receive fully paid and partially paid leaves.
• Among hourly workers, 46 percent of union members receive full pay while on family and medical leave, compared to 29 percent of non-union workers.
• Workers in unions are 1.3 times as likely as non-union workers to be allowed to use their own sick time to care for a sick child, and are 50 percent more likely to have paid personal leave that can be used to care for sick children.

As the report's co-author, Netsy Firestein, said, “As Congress prepares to debate the Employee Free Choice Act in coming months, policymakers should understand that unions have helped improve workplace policies for thousands of working families and could do the same things for millions of families if EFCA becomes the law of the land."

» Press release
» Executive summary
» Full report