The Open Shop, Closed Shop, Agency Shop, and Union Default in Comparative Perspective: Members, Resources, and Individual Autonomy

Mark Harcourt and Gregor Gall

Industrial Relations Journal, 2026, vol. 57, issue 3, 244-253

Abstract: Strategies designed to revive the declining union movement require new resources and new members for success. For this, many unions often used closed or agency shops. We compare these with the now dominant open shop as well as the union default. These options are assessed by asking how effective would each be at securing both members and resources for unions; and how much would each option protect and/or advance worker's autonomy in terms of various individual freedoms? Though closed and agency shops have many merits, especially in relation to the open shop, we conclude that the union default is superior to both.

Date: 2026
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