Unions And Family Leave: Early Experience Under The Family And Medical Leave Act

Using a survey of over 2,000 employees, we analyze the extent to which labor unions have facilitated the implementation of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Among hourly workers, union representation does not have a significant effect on FMLA leave-taking frequency, but union members are more likely to have heard of the FMLA, are more likely to have fully-paid leaves, and are less likely to worry about losing their jobs or seniority because of taking leaves. The results also indicate that minority workers could benefit from additional representation.