Roles of Public Unions on the Adoption of Economic Compensation for U.S. Government Employees with Disabilities

Abstract

Do public unions and collective bargaining promote the adoption of disability benefits policy for public employees? Are public employees with disability discriminated against in terms of accommodations and economic compensation, especially disability pension benefits? These questions need to be answered to improve work environments for employees with disabilities. While the numbers of public employees with disabilities have increased due to various reasons, such as legal environment changes(e.g., Americans with Disabilities Act), this study conducted an empirical data analysis using longitudinal PENDAT(pension data) data, which were collected by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of State and Local Government Employee Retirement Systems in the United States. According to the study results, public employee union representation and collective bargaining in the public sector are positively and significantly associated with economic compensation(i.e., pension benefits) of U.S. government employees with disabilities.