Immigrants and trade union membership: Does integration into society and workplace play a moderating role?

Abstract

We hypothesize that incomplete integration into the workplace and society implies that immigrants are less likely to be union members than natives. Incomplete integration makes the usual mechanism for overcoming the collective action problem less effective. Our empirical analysis with data from the Socio‐Economic Panel confirms a unionization gap for first‐generation immigrants in Germany. Importantly, using the presence of a works council as an indicator of workplace integration and contacts with Germans as an indicator of integration into society, the analysis shows that the immigrant‐native gap in union membership is heterogeneous. The gap is smaller for immigrants working in firms with a works council and having social contacts with Germans. Our analysis also confirms that the gap is decreasing in the years since arrival in Germany.

Works councils and workers’ party preferences in Germany

“…Workers take on a broader class-based perspective and recognize that their interests are bound together irrespective of nationality, origin or race. Indeed, case studies and econometric examinations suggest that worker voice is associated with more positive attitudes toward immigration and a higher degree of integration of immigrants into the workplace (Bedaso et al 2022, Ryan and Turner 2021, Schmidt and Müller 2021. Such increased universal solidarity suggests that workers are less likely to have preferences for right-wing parties.…”

“…We also include a dummy for union membership. Workers in firms with a works council have a higher likelihood of being union members (Bedaso et al 2022, Behrens 2009, Jirjahn 2021). Thus, it is important to disentangle the influences of works council presence and union membership.…”