Union Organizing and Membership Growth: Why Don't They Organize?

    Authors

    J. Fiorito;P. Jarley

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    J. Labor Res.

    Keywords

    Unions; Organizing; Membership; Union organizing; Union membership; AMERICAN LABOR-MOVEMENT; DECLINE; DETERMINANTS; POLITICS; Industrial Relations & Labor

    Abstract

    This study analyzes U.S. union organizing activity and membership growth from 1990 to 2004, a period in which an overall pattern of union decline continued and in which organizing achieved renewed prominence as both a union policy and public policy issue. Models for organizing activity and membership growth were proposed and tested. Union decentralization and employer opposition were found to be key predictors of organizing activity differences among unions. These same factors, along with organizing activity, helped explain union differences in membership growth, as did a "Sweeney era" effect.

    Journal Title

    Journal of Labor Research

    Volume

    33

    Issue/Number

    4

    Publication Date

    1-1-2013

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    461

    Last Page

    486

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000310968000003

    ISSN

    0195-3613

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