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Gleicher Lohn für gleiche Arbeit? : zum Zusammenhang zwischen Gewerkschaftsmitgliedschaft und Lohnstruktur in Westdeutschland 1985-1997 (Equal pay for equal work? * on the relationship between union membership and the wage structure in western Germany 1985-1997)

Author

Listed:
  • Fitzenberger, Bernd
  • Kohn, Karsten

Abstract

"This paper examines the relationship between the net union density, as a measure of union power, and the wage structure within and between segments of the German labour market in the period 1985-1997 on the basis of the IAB employment sample. Individual probabilities of trade union membership predicted in estimates by Beck and Fitzenberger (2004) are added to the data set. In accordance with an insurance motive for union membership, ceteris paribus a higher union density is accompanied by a lower wage level and a reduction in residual wage dispersion. In addition to this, qualification-related wage differentials are also smaller in segments with strong unions. In accordance with the minimum-wage character of union-negotiated wages, the compression of the wage distribution occurs in particular in the lower range. The trade union effects also vary with the age of the workers and over time." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Suggested Citation

  • Fitzenberger, Bernd & Kohn, Karsten, 2005. "Gleicher Lohn für gleiche Arbeit? : zum Zusammenhang zwischen Gewerkschaftsmitgliedschaft und Lohnstruktur in Westdeutschland 1985-1997 (Equal pay for equal work? * on the relationship between union m," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 38(2/3), pages 125-146.
  • Handle: RePEc:iab:iabzaf:v:38:i:2-3:p:125-146
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Christina Gathmann & Uta Schönberg, 2010. "How General Is Human Capital? A Task-Based Approach," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 28(1), pages 1-49, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Bundesrepublik Deutschland ; Westdeutschland ; Gewerkschaftspolitik ; Gewerkschaftszugehörigkeit ; IAB-Beschäftigtenstichprobe ; Lohnfindung ; Lohnhöhe ; Lohnstruktur ; Lohnunterschied ; Tariflohn ; 1985-1997;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects

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