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! ]

When Unions "Mattered": Assessing the Impact of Strikes on Financial Markets: 1925-1937

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
John DiNardo
Kevin F. Hallock

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

Combining information from labor historians and using techniques from finance we analyze the strikes that labor historians have agreed are pivotal in American history' during the period 1925-1937. Using information we collected on strike dates and historical financial market stock price data we assess the financial market's view of these conflicts. We study the effects of major strikes between the world wars on detailed industry stock prices. We find that strikes have large, negative effects on industry stock value. We also find that longer strikes, violent strikes, strikes where unions win,' industry-wide strikes, strikes that lead to union recognition, and strikes that lead to large wage increases lead to larger negative share price reactions than other strikes. Also, our analysis shows that most of the news' in a strike seems to be incorporated very early on in the strike. Our analysis strongly suggests that although the financial markets generally expected unions to lose,' they viewed union victories as quite important determinants of the share of firm profits going to stockholders.

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://www.nber.org/papers/w7794.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: Access to the full text is generally limited to series subscribers, however if the top level domain of the client browser is in a developing country or transition economy free access is provided. More information about subscriptions and free access is available at http://www.nber.org/wwphelp.html.

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
Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 7794.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length:
Date of creation: Jul 2000
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:7794

Note: LS
Contact details of provider:
Postal: National Bureau of Economic Research, 1050 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
Phone: 617-868-3900
Email:
Web page: http://www.nber.org
More information through EDIRC

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

Related research
Keywords:

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
J5 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining
G3 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance

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.:

  1. Obeua S. Persons, 1995. "The effects of automobile strikes on the stock value of steel suppliers," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, ILR Review, ILR School, Cornell University, vol. 49(1), pages 78-87, October.
  2. David Neumark & Michael L. Wachter, 1992. "Union Threat Effects and Nonunion Industry Wage Differentials," NBER Working Papers 4046, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. A. Craig MacKinlay, 1997. "Event Studies in Economics and Finance," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 35(1), pages 13-39, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Lazear, Edward P, 1983. "A Competitive Theory of Monopoly Unionism," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 73(4), pages 631-43, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. Nelson, Morton & Amoako-Adu, Ben & Smith, Brian, 1994. "Impact of labor strikes on equity values: Canadian evidence," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 153-165, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Ruback, Richard S & Zimmerman, Martin B, 1984. "Unionization and Profitability: Evidence from the Capital Market," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 92(6), pages 1134-57, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Jonathan K. Kramer & Geraldo M. Vasconcellos, 1996. "The economic effect of strikes on the shareholders of nonstruck competitors," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, ILR Review, ILR School, Cornell University, vol. 49(2), pages 213-222, January.
  8. Freeman, Richard B & Medoff, James L, 1981. "The Impact of the Percentage Organized on Union and Nonunion Wages," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 63(4), pages 561-72, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? No RePEc service, like IDEAS, charges for the use or the display of bibliographic data.

This page was last updated on 2010-1-7.

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.