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Labor Unions and American Poverty

Author

Listed:
  • VanHeuvelen, Tom
  • Brady, David

Abstract

American poverty research largely neglects labor unions. The authors use individual-level panel data, incorporate both household union membership and state-level union density, and analyze both working poverty and working-aged poverty (among households led by 18- to 64-year-olds). They estimate three-way fixed effects (person, year, and state) and fixed-effects individual slopes models on the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), 1976–2015. They exploit the higher quality income data in the Cross-National Equivalent File—an extension of the PSID—to measure relative (

Suggested Citation

  • VanHeuvelen, Tom & Brady, David, 2022. "Labor Unions and American Poverty," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 75(4), pages 891-917.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:espost:240906
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Giesselmann, Marco, 2014. "The Impact of Labour Market Reform Policies on Insiders’ and Outsiders’ Low-Wage Risk," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 30(5), pages 549-561.
    2. C. Jeffrey Waddoups, 2001. "Unionism and poverty-level wages in the service sector: the case of Nevada's hotel-casino industry," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(3), pages 163-167.
    3. David Brady & Ryan Finnigan & Sabine Hübgen, 2017. "Rethinking the risks of poverty: a framework for analyzing prevalences and penalties," LIS Working papers 693, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    4. Giesselmann, Marco & Schmidt-Catran, Alexander W., 2019. "Getting the Within Estimator of Cross-Level Interactions in Multilevel Models with Pooled Cross-Sections: Why Country Dummies (Sometimes) Do Not Do the Job," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 49(1), pages 190-219.
    5. Card, David, 1996. "The Effect of Unions on the Structure of Wages: A Longitudinal Analysis," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 64(4), pages 957-979, July.
    6. Jeffrey M Wooldridge, 2010. "Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 2, volume 1, number 0262232588, December.
    7. Katja Möhring & Alexander Schmidt, 2012. "Multilevel tools," German Stata Users' Group Meetings 2012 06, Stata Users Group.
    8. Barry T. Hirsch & David A. MacPherson, 2003. "Union Membership and Coverage Database from the Current Population Survey: Note," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 56(2), pages 349-354, January.
    9. David Neumark & Michael L. Wachter, 1995. "Union Effects on Nonunion Wages: Evidence from Panel Data on Industries and Cities," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 49(1), pages 20-38, October.
    10. David Brady & Regina Baker & Ryan Finnigan, 2013. "When Unionization Disappears: State-Level Unionization and Working Poverty in the U.S," LIS Working papers 590, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    11. Rafael Gomez & Danielle Lamb, 2019. "Unions and Non-Standard Work: Union Representation and Wage Premiums across Non-Standard Work Arrangements in Canada, 1997–2014," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 72(4), pages 1009-1035, August.
    12. George A. Erickcek & Susan N. Houseman & Arne L. Kalleberg, 2003. "The Effects of Temporary Services and Contracting Out on Low-Skilled Workers: Evidence from Auto Suppliers, Hospitals, and Public Schools," Book chapters authored by Upjohn Institute researchers, in: Eileen Appelbaum & Annette Bernhardt & Richard J. Murnane (ed.),Low-Wage America: How Employers Are Reshaping Opportunity in the Workplace, pages 368-403, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
    13. David H. Autor, 2011. "The polarization of job opportunities in the U.S. labor market: implications for employment and earnings," Community Investments, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, vol. 23(Fall), pages 11-1640-41.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Brady, David, 2023. "Poverty, not the poor," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 9(34), pages 1-17.
    2. Laura C Bucci, 2023. "The Role of Federalism and the Centrality of State Governments for Labor Unions, Employment, and Organizing," Publius: The Journal of Federalism, CSF Associates Inc., vol. 53(3), pages 462-483.
    3. Kevin Pineda‐Hernández & François Rycx & Mélanie Volral, 2022. "How collective bargaining shapes poverty: New evidence for developed countries," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 60(4), pages 895-928, December.
    4. VanHeuvelen, Tom & Han, Xiaowen & VanHeuvelen, Jane, 2025. "The mortality implications of a unionized career," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 365(C).
    5. Mark Harcourt & Gregor Gall & Margaret Wilson, 2023. "The effects of public goods framing for a union default policy," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 44(4), pages 1197-1221, November.
    6. Mark Harcourt & Gregor Gall & Margaret Wilson, 2023. "The union default: Effects and implications of regulated opting‐out," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(2), pages 132-149, March.
    7. Mark Harcourt & Gregor Gall & Margaret Wilson, 2024. "Employee beliefs about the consequences of a union default: Implications for support and intention to remain in union membership," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 45(4), pages 1272-1293, November.
    8. David Brady & Alexis Bocanegra & Diana Cervantes & Lauren Macy & Nasdira Romero Saravia, 2025. "The Heterogeneities of Immigrant Poverty in the U.S," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 44(4), pages 1-31, August.
    9. Mark Harcourt & Gregor Gall & Margaret Wilson, 2024. "The union default: Free‐riding solutions," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(4), pages 267-284, July.

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