Women comprise approximately 43 percent of union members in the United States, up from 37 percent in 1990. Almost two-thirds of new union members are women. In the UAW, there are 169,000 women workers, which is about one-quarter of the total active UAW workforce.

“It’s a very significant move that the UAW is taking up the issue and it reflects thinking that reproductive health care for women is not a luxury, it’s basic health care,” said Kate Michelman, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America.

This demand comes at a time when most employers are seeking ways to cut back on health benefits for their employees. Detroit automakers complain that they paid $8.7 billion in 2002. General Motors wants to reduce the $3.62 billion it spent covering its 336,000 UAW workers and retirees.

The outcome of negotiations around this issue is expected to have an impact on other unions, creating anxiety among abortion opponents. “It could be a dangerous precedent,” said Monica Miller, director of Citizens for a Pro-Life Society who is planning a picket outside of UAW headquarters in Detroit.

It is unclear how hard the UAW will push on this issue or whether this demand will be part of the final contract. According to Ann Wendt, a management professor at Wright State University, “Unions raise issues knowing they may take a few contract negotiations to get…Dental and eye coverage weren’t won the first time.”

Current UAW health-care plans cover abortions only under certain circumstances, as when “medically necessary” or determined by a physician.

The UAW has also raised the proposal that GM should join Ford and Chrysler in covering prescription birth control costs.  
 
 
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