Why Public Sector Union Members Support Their Unions: Survey and Experimental Evidence

Despite their decline, unions, and especially public sector unions, remain important civic and economic associations. Yet, we lack an understanding of why public sector union members voluntarily support unions. We report on a field experiment conducted during a 2017 Iowa teachers union recertification election. We randomly assigned union members to receive emails describing union benefits and measured effects on turnout effort (N = 10,461). Members were more likely to try to vote when reminded of the unions’ professional benefits and community—but not legal protections or political representation. A follow-up survey identified the specific aspects of professional identity and benefits that members most valued and why. In a context where union membership and support is voluntary among professionalized workers, our findings emphasize the possibility of training for fostering shared identities and encouraging support for public sector unions. Our results have broader implications for understanding the public sector labor movement in a context of legal retrenchment.

PLAN DE CONTINGENCIA ANTE FUERTES LLUVIAS E INUNDACIONES PARA LA CIUDAD DE PUYO, CANTÓN PASTAZA, ECUADOR

Todo plan de contingencia tiene como finalidad permitir el funcionamiento de las instituciones, aun cuando alguna de sus funciones deje de hacerlo a causa de algún incidente, tanto interno como ajeno a la organización. El objetivo de la investigación consistió en establecer las acciones precisas y oportunas para un plan de contingencia, que permita reducir el estado de vulnerabilidad y riesgo ante fuertes lluvias e inundaciones para los habitantes de la ciudad de Puyo. La investigación se llevó a cabo en cinco sitios dentro de la ciudad Puyo, cantón Pastaza (Dique de Fátima, Barrio Obrero- Estero Citayacu, Sector La Isla, Sector Unión Base y Barrio Paraíso río Pindo Grande), Ecuador. Se tuvieron en cuenta las variables climáticas: temperatura y precipitaciones, así como las características geológicas y demográficas del cantón y el tiempo de evacuación. Se elaboró un Plan de Contingencia que contempló a los habitantes del cantón, con mayores riesgos y vulnerabilidad, enfatizándose en los niños, embarazadas y ancianos, donde se involucraron organizaciones y entidades estatales e independientes, para enfrentar mucho mejor los desastres de origen natural, entre las que resaltan: el Cuerpo de Bomberos, Cruz Roja, hogares y centros para acoger a personas de avanzada edad, comedores y clínicas de rehabilitación. Confección de una propuesta de señaléticas para resaltar las áreas de mayores peligros por inundación. Se concluye, que la propuesta de un plan de contingencia para la ciudad de Puyo es pertinente y necesaria, por la evidencia de pronunciadas inundaciones, que afectan prácticamente a todo el cantón de Pastaza.

The Changing Face of Unions and White Labor Support for the Democratic Party

This manuscript examines the political behavior of White union members, with a focus on the differences between private sector and public sector union members. In the last several decades, private sector union membership has drastically declined, but public sector union membership has greatly increased. This has transformed the White unionized workforce from a group composed primarily of non-professional men with no college education to one that is much more female, college educated, and professional. We test the proposition that White public sector union members have greater incentives to support the Democratic Party than their private sector counterparts. The method employed is an examination of the presidential vote among both unionized and non-unionized Whites during the 1950s and the 2000s, using data from the American National Election Studies. Support among unionized Whites for Democratic presidential candidates in the 2000s came primarily from college educated and professional White union members, which represents a reversal of the pattern found during the 1950s. These results provide evidence that the White union members currently voting for Democratic candidates belong mainly to public sector unions.

Exploring determinants of state employee union density in the United States

Purpose – To explore state employee union density, this paper discusses determinants of state sector union density and then empirically examines the linkages of the determinants and state union membership in the USA. Design/methodology/approach – After operationalizing and measuring the indicators of the crucial determinants of state employee union density, this study conducts a cross-sectional analysis on state sector union density. The dependent variable used in this study is state employee union density in the USA. The independent variables used in this study are the presence of a liberal state government, the presence of collective bargaining laws, the size of a budget deficit, and an unemployment rate which could determine state sector union density. Findings – This study finds that state union density is not determined by the size of budget deficits and the presence of liberal governors but by the presence of collective bargaining laws and liberal state legislatures and unemployment rates. Additionally, this study reveals that unified governments can make a difference in state employee union density. For instance, liberal states controlling both the state executive and legislative branches have a positive impact on state employee union density, while conservative states ruling both branches have a negative impact on state union density. Originality/value – This paper analyzed pooled cross-sectional data on state employee union density in the US with regards to crucial legal, political, financial, and economic variables.

Valuing Non-Wage Compensation of Private Sector Labor Union Workers in the Construction Trades

This article presents procedures for calculating the value of non-wage compensation for members of private sector labor unions in the construction industry and cites examples using various collective bargaining agreements. Four major fringe benefit categories are analyzed: welfare, annuity, vacation, and pension funds. When calculating the loss to a private sector union worker it is necessary to obtain not only the relevant collective bargaining agreements but also information regarding both actual earnings and the number of hours worked. If both cannot be obtained, problems in valuing retirement and other fringe benefit funds arise. In some cases, the union member may work for several different employers during any given year, thus receiving many W-2s, but all hours worked would be recorded through the union. To value employer contributions to annuity and vacation funds a determination needs to be made if the contributions take into account premium pay union workers may receive. To value lost medical insurance, the replacement cost of a comparable medical insurance policy should be used. For lost pension benefits, it is important to establish the typical number of hours per annum that would most likely have been worked but for the injury. In addition, if the history of that union's pension benefit reveals increases over time, then that pattern may need to be considered as a basis for determining the future value of the pension benefit. Valuation of each private sector union benefit, therefore, is not simply a matter of referring to the value of the hourly contribution by the employer but requires its own method appropriate to the nature of the benefit as specified in the union's collective bargaining agreement.