This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Still Married after All These Years? Union Organizing and the Role of Works Councils in German Industrial Relations

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Martin Behrens
Abstract

German trade unions are seeking new ways to counteract a steady downward trend in membership that has dragged on for fifteen years. Works councils’ activities aimed at recruiting new members may play an important role in such efforts. The author’s analysis of data from the fourth WSI survey of works and staff councils (2004-2005) shows that almost half of all works councils supported unions’ recruitment endeavors, using a wide range of methods. Works councils’ willingness to take active part in membership recruitment increased substantially when works councilors were personally involved in trade union affairs and were supported by negotiating bodies. Also important was works councilor participation in trade union seminars and training sessions. Favorable perceptions of such institutions were positively associated with the likelihood that works councils would actively engage in new member recruitment. The analysis also reveals a positive association between recruitment activity and plant-level union membership growth.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/ilrreview/vol62/iss3/1
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: At http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/ilrreview/, all visitors can get free full text downloads of articles published between April 2003 and 18 months prior to today's date. A subscription is required for full-text downloads of more recent articles. Researchers can find older issues of the Review at http://www.jstore.org.

As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version under "Related research" (further below) or search for a different version of it.

Publisher Info
Article provided by ILR Review, ILR School, Cornell University in its journal ILR Review.

Volume (Year): 62 (2009)
Issue (Month): 3 (April)
Pages: 275-293
Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Handle: RePEc:ilr:articl:v:62:y:2009:i:3:p:275-293

Contact details of provider:
Fax: 607-255-8016
Web page: http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/ilrreview/
More information through EDIRC

Order Information:
Postal: 621 Ives Hall, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY 14853-3901
Email:
Web: http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/ilrreview/

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Jami Carlacio).

Related research
Keywords:

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Uwe Jirjahn & Jens Mohrenweiser & Uschi Backes-Gellner, 2009. "Works Councils and Learning: On the Dynamic Dimension of Codetermination," Working Papers 0116, University of Zurich, Institute for Strategy and Business Economics (ISU). [Downloadable!]
  2. Addison, John T. & Bryson, Alex & Teixeira, Paulino & Pahnke, André & Bellmann, Lutz, 2009. "The Extent of Collective Bargaining and Workplace Representation: Transitions between States and their Determinants. A Comparative Analysis of Germany and Great Britain," IZA Discussion Papers 4502, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? IDEAS also indexes books.

This page was last updated on 2009-12-14.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.