1. UNDERSTANDING UNIONIZATION DECISION
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UNDERSTANDING UNIONIZATION DECISION

2. Different Aspects of Unions
Economic
Voice
Equity
Countervailing Power
Forced Unionism

3. The Economic Rationale
Traditional bread-and-butter concerns
Getting a better deal
negotiating higher wages and benefits
Taking wages out of competition
protecting members from competition
“organizing to the extent of the market”

4. The Voice Rationale Exit and Voice Theory Benefits of worker voice
Dealing with dissatisfaction
Benefits of worker voice
improvement in job conditions
increased productivity
union shock effect

5. Fairness and Equity “sharing the pie” Equity Theory
equity within company
equity within industry

6. Countervailing Power Rationale
Gaining control over conditions at work
Lobbying government and taking political action
unions are the only lobby group
Increasing justice in the workplace
collective agreement
grievance procedure
Providing workers an opportunity for participation

7. Forced Unionism
Not all unionized workers choose to be represented by a union
Majority rules!
Union security arrangements

8. What Workers Actually Want from Unions
Survey by Godard (1995)
Traditional areas
protecting wages and benefits
protecting job security
pursuing grievances
pushing for stronger organizing laws
supporting workers on strike

9. What Workers Actually Want from Unions
What workers believe unions must do
ensuring workers have a say in union affairs
ensuring workers have a say in the workplace
finding positive solutions to workplace-based conflicts
representing workers’ interests to management

10. Unionization: Propensity and Opportunity
Why do some workers join unions while others do not?
Propensity
Job Dissatisfaction
Perceived Union Instrumentality
Preconceived Views About Unions

11. Unionization: Propensity and Opportunity
Type of industry and location of employment
The nature of the union that traditionally organizes the particular industry
The public-policy setting
Degree and expression of employer opposition

12. Process of Unionization
Dissatisfaction with working conditions
Gap between workers’ expectations and their achievements
Inhibiting or facilitating conditions
Widening Expectation-Achievement Gap
Union Organizing Phase
Unionization
Post-Unionization Phase