Union-represented workers are much more likely to be enrolled in employer-provided health and retirement benefits than non-union workers. According to the latest annual report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 82% of union workers are enrolled in an employer-provided retirement plan compared to 53% of non-union workers. And 72% of union-represented workers are enrolled in employer-provided health insurance compared to 45% of non-union workers.
More workers have “access” to employer-sponsored benefits than enroll. That’s because employees’ share of health premiums is sometimes unaffordable, and many workers must opt in to defined contribution retirement savings plans like 401(k)s. But the “uptake” rate is also higher for union workers than non-union workers.
Union employers also pay a bigger share of health premiums. Union employers pay 84% of the premium on average for employee-only health coverage, compared to 81% for non-employers, and they pay 78% of the premium for family coverage, compared to 67% for non-union employers.
