Abstract
RESEARCH PROBLEM & DATA
How does a unionized career influence the physical health of older adults?
Labor unions are critical for workers’ material well-being, with their membership and impacts increasing throughout mid-twentieth century. Their subsequent decline in recent years has contributed to high and rising levels of economic inequality. Research shows that the benefits of union membership extend beyond employment outcomes and also encompass health and well-being. However, most studies have limited their focus to point-in-time comparisons between union and nonunion workers, neglecting the fact that many of the protections and benefits of union membership accrue through mechanisms that play out over the life course. As such, it is critical for researchers to explore prospectively the longer-term cumulative impacts of unionization for health.
We followed individuals throughout their careers into older adulthood using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) from 1968 to 2019. We document union membership over one’s career and use multilevel growth curve regression models to evaluate the impacts of union careers on self-rated health, functional limitations, and chronic conditions in older adulthood (i.e., ages 60–79).
KEY FINDINGS
Individuals who spent a longer portion of their career as union members reported substantially better physical health across all indicators in older adulthood compared to similar individuals who spent less time in unions.
Associations between union membership and health are strongest among men, those with less than a college degree, and Black individuals.
The greatest health benefits were found among those who joined a union early in their careers, before the age of 30.
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
Poor health and economic disparities therein among U.S. older adults present significant social and economic costs for society. Policymakers can find cost-effective interventions that improve the condition of future older adult health through improvements in the working conditions that Americans face during their careers. Strong labor unions represent one time-tested option with a demonstrated track record of improving the earnings, job security, working conditions, voice, and scheduling among otherwise marginalized workers. We show that a further benefit of the unionized career is that it improves older adults’ health and thus has the secondary benefit of reducing the costly policy interventions required to meet the health needs of vulnerable older adults. Policy decisions contributed to the demise of labor unions. Policymakers can help foster its reemergence.
