Two roads diverged: legal context and changing levels of private and public sector union density in the US states, 1984–2019
Wallace, Michael ; Vachon, Todd E. ; Hyde, Allen
Economic and Industrial Democracy
2022
43
4
November
1539-1563
trade union ; trade union membership ; labour law ; right to work ; history
Trade unionism
https://doi.org/10.1177/0143831X211025078
English
Bibliogr.;Statistics
"This article examines the causes of the different historical trajectories of US union membership in the private and public sectors, a topic relevant for understanding the link between unions and industrial democracy. The article focuses on the different legal contexts shaping membership in these two sectors, especially the role of right-to-work (RTW) and public sector collective bargaining (PSCB) laws. Using state-level data from 1984 to 2019, the study finds that RTW laws decrease, and PSCB laws increase union membership in both sectors, suggesting cross-over effects. The authors conclude with a discussion of the implications of these findings for the prospects of expanding economic and industrial democracy."
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