No abstract

An important issue in assessing the potential benefits of information technology (IT) as a tool for increasing labor's effectiveness is union members' use of IT. Using 2003 Current Population Survey data, we examine the union members' IT and Internet usage at home and work. We find that union members are more intense users of IT at work than nonunionized employees and that high-intensity IT users constitute about one-third of the union sample.INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) OFFERS ORGANIZED LABOR an exploding range of tools to improve its capability and performance on a variety of dimensions. A critical variable affecting labor's ability to realize these possibilities is the extent of IT usage among union members and wider public which it must reach. We examine this question, comparing union members with the general public on IT use at home and at work, including the intensity of their usage. Finally, we analyze whether differences between the groups appear after controlling for demographic and industry variables.