Union Wage Compression in a Right-to-Manage Model

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Union Wage Compression in a Right-to-Manage Model

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Thorsten Vogel

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Thorsten Vogel

Abstract

Trade unions are consistently found to compress the wage distribution. Moreover, unemployment affects in particular low-skilled workers. The present paper argues that an extended Right-to-Manage model can account for both of these findings. In this model unions compress the wage distribution by raising wages of workers in low productivity industries (or low-skilled workers) above market clearing levels. Our analysis suggests that the most direct way to test this model would be via a test for stochastic dominance. We also allow for capital adjustments and compare union and non-union wage distributions in a general equilibrium framework.

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Paper provided by Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany in its series SFB 649 Discussion Papers with number SFB649DP2007-009.

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Length: 30 pages
Date of creation: Feb 2007
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Handle: RePEc:hum:wpaper:sfb649dp2007-009

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects
J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
J41 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Labor Contracts
J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

NEP-ALL-2007-02-24 (All new papers)
NEP-BEC-2007-02-24 (Business Economics)
NEP-LAB-2007-02-24 (Labour Economics)

References listed on IDEAS
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.:

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Full references

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.)

Michael C. Burda & Bernd Fitzenberger & Alexander Lembcke & Thorsten Vogel, 2008. "Unionization, Stochastic Dominance, and Compression of the Wage Distribution: Evidence from Germany," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2008-041, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. [Downloadable!]
Kai Detlefsen & Wolfgang Härdle & Rouslan Moro, 2007. "Empirical Pricing Kernels and Investor Preferences," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2007-017, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. [Downloadable!]
Volodymyr Perederiy, 2007. "Kombinierte Liquiditäts- und Solvenzkennzahlen und ein darauf basierendes Insolvenzprognosemodell für deutsche GmbHs," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2007-060, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. [Downloadable!]
Sebastian Braun & Juliane Scheffel, 2007. "Does International Outsourcing Depress Union Wages?," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2007-033, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. [Downloadable!]

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