Two roads diverged: Legal context and changing levels of private and public sector union density in the US states, 1984–2019

Michael Wallace, Todd E Vachon and Allen Hyde
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Michael Wallace: Department of Sociology, University of Connecticut, USA
Todd E Vachon: School of Management and Labor Relations, Rutgers University, USA
Allen Hyde: School of History and Sociology, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA

Economic and Industrial Democracy, 2022, vol. 43, issue 4, 1539-1563

Abstract: This article examines the causes of the different historical trajectories of US union membership in the private and public sectors, a topic relevant for understanding the link between unions and industrial democracy. The article focuses on the different legal contexts shaping membership in these two sectors, especially the role of right-to-work (RTW) and public sector collective bargaining (PSCB) laws. Using state-level data from 1984 to 2019, the study finds that RTW laws decrease, and PSCB laws increase union membership in both sectors, suggesting cross-over effects. The authors conclude with a discussion of the implications of these findings for the prospects of expanding economic and industrial democracy.

Keywords: Business unionism; labor law; public sector collective bargaining laws; right-to-work laws; social movement unionism; union decline (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:ecoind:v:43:y:2022:i:4:p:1539-1563

DOI: 10.1177/0143831X211025078

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