Why Workers Want Unions: The Role of Relative Wages and Job Characteristics

TLDR

The study develops and estimates a model of individual voting behavior in National Labor Relations Board representation elections. The authors construct a statistical model to determine how workers decide to vote in NLRB representation elections. The study finds that perceived union advantage is inversely related to a worker’s relative earnings, that perceptions of nonwage benefits and job security strongly influence voting, and that, controlling for these factors, black workers are more likely and older workers less likely to vote for unionization.

Abstract

In this study a model of the determination of individual votes in National Labor Relations Board representation elections was developed and estimated. The major conclusions fall into four areas. First, the perceived advantage of unionization is inversely related to the individual's position in the intrafirm earnings distribution. Second, explicitly measured perceptions of the impact of unionization on the nonwage aspects of the job are important determinants of the vote. Third, concern for the impact of unionization on job security is an important aspect of the unionization decision. Finally, it was found that after controlling for the effects of unionization on various aspects of the employment relationship, blacks are more likely and older workers are less likely to vote for unionization.