Union workers are more likely than their nonunion counterparts to be covered by health care and receive pension benefits, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. In March 2008, 79 percent of union workers were covered by health insurance through their jobs, compared with only 52 percent of nonunion workers. Union workers also are more likely to have retirement and paid personal leave.

As the chart below illustrates, 86 percent of union workers participate in pension plans versus 51 percent of nonunion workers. Seventy-seven percent of union workers participate in defined-benefit pension plans, compared with 20 percent of nonunion workers. (Defined-benefit plans are federally insured and provide a guaranteed monthly pension amount. They are better for workers than defined-contribution plans, in which the balance in a worker's account fluctuates depending on how well the underlying investments perform, and the monthly payment amount is uncertain.)

UNION WORKERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE
HEALTH AND PENSION BENEFITS, 2008

Note: Defined-benefit pensions pay a guaranteed monthly benefit.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employee Benefits in Private Industry, March 2008. August 2008.
Prepared by the AFL-CIO.