Labor Union Membership and Life Satisfaction in the United States

Flavin, Patrick; Shufeldt, Gregory

doi:10.1177/0160449x16643321

Cited by 21 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 54 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It was found that research on QWL tends to focus on union leadership, at the expense of focusing on how employees perceived union membership (Holley, Field & Crowley, 1981). A study conducted in the USA revealed that QWL was a predictor of union membership (Flavin & Shufeldt, 2016). Flavin and Shufeldt (2016, p.171) found that "union members are more satisfied with their lives than those who are not members and that substantive effect on union membership on life satisfaction rivals other predictors of QWL".…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Biographical and Human Resource Management Predictors of Union Membership Engagement of Low- and Middle-Income Workers

Maleka¹

2018

JEBS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this study, the researcher investigated the biographical and human resource management (HRM) predictors of union membership. The literature reviewed revealed that there is little research on this topic in the South African context. The literature reviewed also showed that males, permanent employees, employees who are less committed, who have a level of quality of work-life (QWL) and engagement, and those who are satisfied are more likely to be unionized. A cross-sectional survey design was used to address the research questions. One thousand questionnaires were distributed and 874 were completed by the respondents at Marabastad Mall in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (CTMM) in South Africa. The study results showed that employment status was the highest predictor ( = -1.782, p<0.05) of union membership, and gender and job satisfaction were not predictors of union members. This study had managerial implications, in the sense that when hiring employees on a part-time basis, having employees who are committed and offering employees QWL (i.e. excellent fringe benefits) will impact negatively on union membership. In terms of policymakers, the study revealed that developing remuneration policies that are pro-employee (i.e. offering excellent working conditions and fringe benefits) would make them satisfied, possibly be productive, and they would engage less in counterproductive industrial actions like strikes, which in South Africa are the amongst highest in the world.

show abstract

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Biographical and Human Resource Management Predictors of Union Membership Engagement of Low- and Middle-Income Workers

Maleka¹

2018

JEBS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In countries where trade unions are powerful, immigrants' unionization rates are important indicators of their social integration. Studies show that union membership is correlated with life satisfaction, the propensity to vote, and with income (Ahlquist, 2017; Flavin and Shufeldt, 2016; Rosenfeld and Kleykamp, 2012; Western and Rosenfeld, 2011). Union membership is also tied to certain benefits for the individual worker.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Immigrant‐Native Gap in Union Membership: A Question of Time, Sorting, or Culture?

Cools

Finseraas

Rasmussen

2020

Labour

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Trade union membership is an indicator of social integration. In this paper, we study the gap in unionization rates between immigrants and natives using high‐quality population‐wide administrative data from Norway. We document that the average unionization rate among immigrants increases strongly with time since arrival, but it never catches up fully with that of natives. Variables describing labour market sorting explain well above half of the gap, mainly because immigrants tend to be employed in firms and industries with lower levels of unionization. There are significant differences in immigrants' unionization by their country of origin, but these differences are also largely accounted for by background characteristics and labour market sorting — and they do not extend to the second generation. We conclude that existing research, which has mainly relied on survey data, has understated the importance of labour market sorting for immigrants' low unionization rates.

show abstract

“…Indeed, it is unlikely that sizable government interventions (such as a more generous welfare state) that have been linked to higher levels of SWB among low income citizens (Alvarez-Diaz, Gonzalez, and Radcliff 2010;Radcliff 2013;Flavin, Pacek, and Radcliff 2014) will be implemented anytime soon in the United States. Likewise, it is unlikely that other mediating institutions that provide a social safety net and improve SWB among working class citizens, most notably organized labor (Keane, Pacek, and Radcliff 2012;Flavin and Shufeldt 2016b), will return to anything resembling their previous prominence. Therefore, increasing the minimum wage represents a widely supported policy to address poverty and inequality and enhance workers' well-being that has a reasonable chance of future political success.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The State of the Minimum Wage: Federalism, Economic Policy, and Workers’ Well-Being

Flavin¹,

Shufeldt²

2017

The Forum

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:In this essay, we contribute to the growing national discussion about the future of minimum wage policy and its implications for working class Americans. First, we discuss the politics of the minimum wage in the United States, with special attention to the sizable and rich variation across the fifty American states and the importance of federalism. Second, we examine competing theoretical arguments (and, when available, empirical evidence) about the advantages and the disadvantages of increasing the minimum wage, particularly as it pertains to workers' well-being. Third, as a case study of the potential effects of raising the minimum wage, we present preliminary results from an original empirical analysis that assesses how state minimum wage increases impact the quality of life that working class citizens experience.

show abstract

Labor Union Membership and Life Satisfaction in the United States

Cited by 21 publications

References 54 publications

The Biographical and Human Resource Management Predictors of Union Membership Engagement of Low- and Middle-Income Workers

The Biographical and Human Resource Management Predictors of Union Membership Engagement of Low- and Middle-Income Workers

The Immigrant‐Native Gap in Union Membership: A Question of Time, Sorting, or Culture?

The State of the Minimum Wage: Federalism, Economic Policy, and Workers’ Well-Being

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About