Working Paper: NBER ID: w2857
Authors: Henry S. Farber
Abstract: The dramatic decline in the demand for union representation among nonunion workers over the last decade is investigated using data on worker preferences for union representation from four surveys conducted in 1977, 1980, 1982, and 1984. Relatively little of the decline can be accounted for by shifts in labor force structure. However, virtually all of the decline is correlated with an increase in the satisfaction of nonunion workers with their jobs and a decline in nonunion workers' beliefs that unions are able to improve wages and working conditions.
Keywords: union representation; worker demand; job satisfaction; labor unions
JEL Codes: J51; J53
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| job satisfaction (J28) | demand for union representation (J58) |
| perceptions of union effectiveness (J51) | demand for union representation (J58) |
| job satisfaction (J28) | likelihood of voting for union representation (J58) |
| decline in demand for union representation (J50) | shifts in educational, occupational, and industrial structures (L16) |
| demand for union representation (J58) | job satisfaction (J28) |