Unions' responses to family concerns

In analyzing labor unions' responses to family concerns, this paper makes t hree arguments. First, analyses of unions force us to shift our perspective . Many union officials insist that work-family issues should include not on ly what have become conventional benefits in the work-family literature (li ke family leave, childcare and alternative work schedules), but also health benefits, vacation time, and a broad range of issues that are usually excl uded from such analyses. By reinvigorating the class component, this change in focus shifts our understanding not only of what policies should be incl uded, but whom the policies can and do serve. Second, unionization cannot b e treated as a dichotomy, but rather requires a more nuanced analysis. Our interviews revealed striking differences among unions, with regard to the m ore conventional work-family benefits, including flexitime, childcare and t he FMLA. Finally, we argue that not only cultural factors (like member expe ctations), but also structural factors, including the gender of the members hip and leadership, as well as union strength, help explain why such variat ion among unions exist.