In recent years, researchers have given much attention to union density decline in industrialized countries. While several have asked whether this decline can be attributed to specifi c economic, social, or institutional causes, few have provided concrete suggestions about how cross-national studies in this genre can inform efforts that seek to reverse this decline in the United States. This study uses cross-sectional time-series analysis of a pooled sample of 18 OECD countries from 1980 to 2005 to consider the effect of the business cycle, domestic institutions, globalization, and strike activity on union density. We identify interaction with the variable 'Traditional Union Density' and utilize fi ndings on corporatism, collective bargaining, globalization, and infl ation to make suggestions for those working to reverse union decline in the US.

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As the population of the United States ages, there is increasing pressure to encourage people to work past the traditional retirement age. A concern with "pro-work" policies, government and employer policies encouraging older workers to remain in the labor force, has grown out of these pressures. For most of the 20th century, government and employer policies instead tended to be "pro-retirement," encouraging workers to exit the labor force at a set age. In this chapter, we discuss the waning of pro-retirement policies and the rise of pro-work policies, along with the possible futures for pro-work policies. Putting pro-work policies in the context of organized labor, economic conditions, and social conditions, we discuss the potential implications for employers, government, and individuals. Today, pro-work policies have largely eclipsed the pro-retirement policies that dominated prior to the 1960s. However, by transferring risk from employers and government to workers, they tend to encourage work while creating a population of workers who are not financially well protected by the system. Over the next few decades, developing and implementing pro-work policies that protect and include more vulnerable populations is a task for organized labor, employees, employers, and policymakers alike. The aging of the U.S. population will pose substantial challenges to public policy and employer practices over the next few decades. While the United States is aging less rapidly than most other industrialized nations, the retirement of the Baby Boom generation will reshape the workplace over the next few decades. For instance, in 1980, individuals age 50 and above represented only 26% of the population. By 2050, individuals age 50 and above will represent 37% of the population (U.S.