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Union Wages and Union Decline: Evidence from the Construction Industry

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Listed:
  • Dale Belman
  • Paula B. Voos

Abstract

Two well-documented empirical findings are that unionized employees typically receive substantially higher compensation than their non-union counterparts and that union representation in the United States has declined over time. Some observers have hypothesized a causal link between these two phenomena: the achievement of a union wage premium, they argue, hastened union decline both by reducing union firms' economic competitiveness and by inducing employers to adopt various union avoidance strategies. Using data from the Current Population Survey and the Census Bureau's Census of Construction, the authors test this hypothesis for the construction industry. Even in estimations that allow for a lagged response and incorporate a variety of controls, they find no evidence that high union/nonunion wage ratios in construction in the 1970s or 1980s resulted in lower union membership in 2000.

Suggested Citation

  • Dale Belman & Paula B. Voos, 2006. "Union Wages and Union Decline: Evidence from the Construction Industry," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 60(1), pages 67-87, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ilrrev:v:60:y:2006:i:1:p:67-87
    DOI: 10.1177/001979390606000104
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. John Godard, 2009. "The Exceptional Decline of the American Labor Movement," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 63(1), pages 82-108, October.
    3. Cihan Bilginsoy, 2013. "Union Wage Gap in the U.S. Construction Sector: 1983–2007," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(3), pages 677-701, July.
    4. Changhui Kang & Myoung-jae Lee, 2014. "Estimation of Binary Response Models With Endogenous Regressors," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(4), pages 502-530, October.
    5. Kevin Duncan & Peter Philips & Mark Prus, 2014. "Prevailing Wage Regulations and School Construction Costs: Cumulative Evidence from British Columbia," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(4), pages 593-616, October.

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