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Blacklist or Short List: Do Employers Discriminate against Union Supporter Job Applicants?

Author

Listed:
  • Nicole Kreisberg
  • Nathan Wilmers

Abstract

Starting in the 1980s, US employers revived aggressive action against unions. Employers’ public opposition to unions yielded a scholarly consensus that US employers actively and consistently discriminate against union supporters. However, evidence for widespread employer anti-union discrimination is based mainly on employer reactions to rare union organizing campaigns. To measure baseline or preventive anti-union discrimination, the authors field the first ever US-based résumé correspondence study of employer responses to union supporter applicants. Focus is on entry-level, non-college degree jobs and findings show no difference in employer callback rates for union supporter applicants relative to non-union applicants. Drawing on interviews and survey data, the authors suggest that union weakness itself may have hollowed preventive employer discrimination against union supporters.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicole Kreisberg & Nathan Wilmers, 2022. "Blacklist or Short List: Do Employers Discriminate against Union Supporter Job Applicants?," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 75(4), pages 943-973, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ilrrev:v:75:y:2022:i:4:p:943-973
    DOI: 10.1177/00197939211036444
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Nüß, Patrick, 2025. "Management opposition, strikes and union threat," IWH Discussion Papers 17/2025, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).

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