Financial and political resources of nine major public sector unions in the 1980s

Article Abstract:

Current research offers two potentially competing perspectives on union strength: membership and financial/political resources. We update and broaden the research on the financial and political resources of nine major public sector unions in the U.S. by reporting these unions' financial assets, net worth, revenues, and political action committee (PAC) receipts during the 1980s and the early 1990s. We find that unions may expand their financial and political resources even though membership levels stagnate or decline. Overall, the unions have amassed larger asset bases, even though some have actually lost members. On a per member basis, federal executive branch unions do not appear as financially weak as the level of their financial resources suggests. Postal unions as a group are clearly the strongest in terms of per member financial and political resources. Federal executive branch unions have experienced a striking reduction in their PAC activity, while the postal and the state and local PACs have grown substantially. Our analysis indicates that union membership may not adequately measure union strength. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Labor organizations, Labor Unions and Similar Labor Organizations, Unions-Govt Employee, United States, Finance, Union dues, Public employees' unions

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Who joins unions in the public sector? The effects of individual characteristics and the law

Article Abstract:

Analysis of a large micro-data set shows that state public-sector bargaining laws significantly influence state and local government union membership in several ways. Membership probability is lowest where right-to-work law is present; it is greatest when there are mandatory agency shop provisions. Compulsory arbitration leads to a significantly greater probability of membership than does the right-to-strike. Simulations based on model estimates indicate that policy changes along the lines of proposed national public bargaining laws could lead to major changes in public-sector union density. Among individual and demographic characteristics, membership probability is significantly affected by full-time part-time status and the statewide extent of private sector-unionism. Although non-whites and males are more likely to be union members, race and gender membership differentials are shown to be relatively small. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Research, Human resource management, Working class

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