Labor unions, work contexts, and workers' access to work–family policies.

This article examines how union coverage affects U.S. workers' access to three types of work–family policies—paid parental leave, schedule control, and paid sick/vacation days—and how these effects vary by family-friendly work contexts, specifically public sector employment and female-dominated occupations. Using longitudinal data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 97 (2000–2017) and individual fixed-effect models, the study finds that transitioning from nonunion to union representation increases access to paid parental leave and paid sick/vacation days but decreases access to schedule control. Moreover, the positive union effects on paid sick/vacation days are amplified in public sector organizations and female-dominated occupations, suggesting that gendered workplace contexts condition the benefits of union coverage for work–family policies. The findings highlight the nuanced role of unions in promoting family-friendly workplace support, varying by policy type and work context.