Following several decades of decline, the first increase in union membership in a quarter of a century was recorded in 2007, with women accounting for almost two-thirds of new union members. Women make up roughly 45 percent of union members--and by 2020, women will be the majority of the unionized workforce.

Millions of female workers are getting the squeeze in today's economy. Even as women break the glass ceiling in business and politics, they still earn on average, 78 cents to every dollar earned by men--and unions are a big part of the solution. Women have a great deal to gain from unionization, with union victories working to pave the way for workers to bargain for affordable family health care, fair wages, improved working conditions, and a better life for their families. Did you know that...

• Unionization raises the probability of a woman having a pension (24.7 percent) and having employer-provided health insurance (19 percent)
  
• Joining a union raises the amount women workers earn by 11.2 percent more than their non-union peers.
  
• Among women workers in the 15 lowest-paying occupations, the benefits are even greater, with female union members earning 14 percent more than those workers who were not in unions.

Watch SEIU's video tribute to Women's History Month here:

The Employee Free Choice Act could make an even greater difference in the lives of women. "What EFCA means is that women workers and particularly women workers of color, who are of the worst economic situation in this country, can finally move out of the worst jobs and the worst working conditions and into the kind of jobs which would allow them to support a family, buy a home, send their kids to college," says Cornell labor specialist Kate Bronfenbrenner.

BNA Daily Labor Report
December 3, 2008

In a statement, the Service Employees International Union pointed to CEPR's study as "evidence of why it's so important for working women, and others, to have the freedom to join unions."

Some great news for working women came out today. A new study shows that joining a union raises a woman's wages and benefits on par with having a college education.

The report, "Unions and Upward Mobility for Women Workers," found that unionized women workers earned, on average, 11.2 percent more than their non-union peers. In addition, women in unions were much more likely to have health insurance benefits and a pension plan.

"For women, joining a union makes as much sense as going to college," said John Schmitt, a Senior Economist at CEPR and the author of the study. "All else equal, joining a union raises a woman's wage as much as a full-year of college, and a union raises the chances a woman has health insurance by more than earning a four-year college degree."

This is really quite important, especially in tough economic times. We need working people to have higher wages and better benefits to help get our economy going again. Now we have evidence that joining a union can be as helpful for women as going to college.

The stats also show why it's important Congress takes up & passes the Employee Free Choice Act early in 2009. The Employee Free Choice Act gives workers the free choice to join unions and the chance to bargain for better wages, benefits, and retirement security. Passing the Employee Free Choice Act can result in real wage increases for millions of women and will help get our economy going again.

It's time our economy worked for everyone again. It's time for the Employee Free Choice Act.