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A Re-Examination of the Relationship between Union Membership and Job Satisfaction

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  • Michael E. Gordon
  • Angelo S. Denisi

Abstract

Two seemingly contradictory findings reported in the recent industrial relations literature are that union members are less satisfied with their jobs than are nonmembers and yet are less inclined to leave their jobs. Because those results are based on several national probability samples, the authors argue that they may result from a sampling methodology that confounds union membership with working conditions. In this study, in contrast, which uses data from 1980 and 1986 on union members and nonmembers in three bargaining units in which union membership was not required, it is possible to control for working conditions when examining the effect of union membership on job satisfaction. The results across all three samples indicate no effect of union membership on either job satisfaction or the intent to quit.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael E. Gordon & Angelo S. Denisi, 1995. "A Re-Examination of the Relationship between Union Membership and Job Satisfaction," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 48(2), pages 222-236, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ilrrev:v:48:y:1995:i:2:p:222-236
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    Cited by:

    1. Katja Seidel, 2016. "Job Characteristics and their Effect on the Intention to Quit Apprenticeship," Working Paper Series in Economics 362, University of Lüneburg, Institute of Economics.
    2. Peter Sloane & Melanie Ward, 2001. "Cohort effects and job satisfaction of academics," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(12), pages 787-791.
    3. Diriwaechter, Patric & Shvartsman, Elena, 2018. "The anticipation and adaptation effects of intra- and interpersonal wage changes on job satisfaction," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 116-140.
    4. Benno Torgler, 2011. "Work Values in Western and Eastern Europe," Working Papers 2011.94, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    5. Heather Antecol & Deborah Cobb-Clark, 2009. "Racial harassment, job satisfaction, and intentions to remain in the military," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 22(3), pages 713-738, July.
    6. Antecol, Heather & Cobb-Clark, Deborah, 2006. "The sexual harassment of female active-duty personnel: Effects on job satisfaction and intentions to remain in the military," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 55-80, September.
    7. C Green & J S Heywood, 2010. "Unions, Dissatisfied Workers and Sorting," Working Papers 615292, Lancaster University Management School, Economics Department.
    8. Patrice Laroche, 2016. "A Meta-Analysis of the Union–Job Satisfaction Relationship," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 54(4), pages 709-741, December.
    9. Ioulia Bessa & Andy Charlwood & Danat Valizade, 2021. "Do Unions Cause Job Dissatisfaction? Evidence from a Quasi‐Experiment in the United Kingdom," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 59(2), pages 251-278, June.
    10. Alex Bryson & Lorenzo Cappellari & Claudio Lucifora, 2010. "Why So Unhappy? The Effects of Unionization on Job Satisfaction," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 72(3), pages 357-380, June.
    11. Blair, Benjamin, F. & Schwer, R. Keith & Waddoups, C. Jeffrey, 1998. "Gambling as an Economic Development Strategy: The Neglected Issue of Job Satisfaction and Nonpecuniary Income," The Review of Regional Studies, Southern Regional Science Association, vol. 28(1), pages 47-62, Summer.
    12. David G. Blanchflower & Alex Bryson & Colin Green, 2022. "Trade unions and the well‐being of workers," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 60(2), pages 255-277, June.
    13. Colin P. Green & John S. Heywood, 2015. "Dissatisfied Union Workers: Sorting Revisited," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 53(3), pages 580-600, September.
    14. Martin Gächter & David A. Savage & Benno Torgler, 2009. "Retaining the Thin Blue Line: What Shapes Workers' Willingness Not to Quit the Current Work Environment," CREMA Working Paper Series 2009-28, Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA).
    15. Donna Brown & Steven McIntosh, 2003. "Job satisfaction in the low wage service sector," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(10), pages 1241-1254.
    16. Molefe Jonathan Maleka, 2018. "The Biographical and Human Resource Management Predictors of Union Membership Engagement of Low- and Middle-Income Workers," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 10(1), pages 207-216.
    17. Peter Gahan, 2012. "“Voice Within Voice”: Members’ Voice Responses to Dissatisfaction with Their Union," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(1), pages 29-56, January.
    18. Mark Gius, 2013. "The effects of merit pay on teacher job satisfaction," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(31), pages 4443-4451, November.
    19. Katja Seidel, 2016. "Apprenticeship: The Intention to Quit and the Role of Secondary Jobs in It," Working Paper Series in Economics 361, University of Lüneburg, Institute of Economics.
    20. Robert D. Mohr & Cindy Zoghi, 2006. "Is Job Enrichment Really Enriching?," Working Papers 389, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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