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Collective bargaining and public policy: Pathways to work-family policy adoption in Australia and the United States

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  • Berg, Peter
  • Kossek, Ellen Ernst
  • Baird, Marian
  • Block, Richard N.

Abstract

Improving employer support of work and family demands of the workforce is a growing concern across countries, but the pathways to achieve improvements in employer adoption of work-family policies, particularly linkages between collective bargaining and public policy, are not well understood within and across national contexts. In this article, we explore the linkage of collective bargaining and public policy through a comparative case study of collectively bargained work-life flexibility policies (flexible scheduling, leave arrangements such as unpaid family- or health-related leave and paid annual/vacation leave) in two universities in the United States and two universities in Australia. These are critical policies that support the ability of national workforces to integrate work and family time over the life course. Cross-national comparisons are useful given considerable variation in government involvement in promoting these policies, variation in the interplay between employers and governments, and variation in the extent to which specific work-life provisions appear in employment labor contracts. Based on interviews conducted with managers, supervisors, and labor union representatives from 2006–2008, we find that the degree of centralized collective bargaining plays an important role in explaining differences in work-life flexibility bargaining outcomes across organizations and countries. In addition, bargaining outcomes are influenced by the floor established by public policy for particular practices, particularly parental and annual leave. This cross-country comparison study articulates the conditions under which collective bargaining and public policy can work together to further equitable employee access to work-life flexibility practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Berg, Peter & Kossek, Ellen Ernst & Baird, Marian & Block, Richard N., 2013. "Collective bargaining and public policy: Pathways to work-family policy adoption in Australia and the United States," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 495-504.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eurman:v:31:y:2013:i:5:p:495-504
    DOI: 10.1016/j.emj.2013.04.008
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. John W. Budd & Karen Mumford, 2004. "Trade Unions and Family-Friendly Policies in Britain," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 57(2), pages 204-222, January.
    2. Baird, M & Whitehouse, G, 2012. "Paid parental leave: first birthday policy review," Australian Bulletin of Labour, National Institute of Labour Studies, vol. 38(3), pages 184-198.
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    4. Kossek, Ellen Ernst & Baltes, Boris B. & Matthews, Russell A., 2011. "How Work–Family Research Can Finally Have an Impact in Organizations," Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Cambridge University Press, vol. 4(3), pages 352-369, September.
    5. Abigail Gregory & Susan Milner, 2009. "Trade Unions and Work‐life Balance: Changing Times in France and the UK?," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 47(1), pages 122-146, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ollier-Malaterre, Ariane & Valcour, Monique & Den Dulk, Laura & Kossek, Ellen Ernst, 2013. "Theorizing national context to develop comparative work–life research: A review and research agenda," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 433-447.
    2. Egidio Riva & Roberto Rizza, 2021. "Who receives occupational welfare? The importance of skills across Europe’s diverse industrial relations regimes," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 27(1), pages 97-112, February.
    3. Chantziaras, Antonios & Dedoulis, Emmanouil & Leventis, Stergios, 2020. "The impact of labor unionization on monitoring costs," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 288-307.
    4. Zheng-Dong Li & Bei Zhang, 2023. "Family-friendly policy evolution: a bibliometric study," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-17, December.
    5. Delphine Brochard & Marie-Thérèse Letablier, 2017. "Trade union involvement in work–family life balance: lessons from France," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 31(4), pages 657-674, August.
    6. Marian Baird & John Murray, 2014. "Collective bargaining for paid parental leave in Australia 2005–2010: A complex context effect," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 25(1), pages 47-62, March.

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