When workers unionize : Trade union effects on management-worker conflict and attitudes towards immediate interests versus broader political agendas

Abstract: Taking its point of departure in the questions of why workers unionize and what happens when they do, this dissertation studies trade union effects on public perceptions and attitudes through the lens of two overarching themes: conflict between management and workers, and tensions between immediate sectional interests versus broader political agendas. These themes are explored empirically through four research papers, studying (1) how union membership, union density, and institutionalization affect perceptions of conflict between management and workers; (2) the impact of trade unions at the workplace level as antecedents of job demands, job autonomy, job control, and training; (3) how union membership and collective bargaining coverage relate to workers’ willingness to prioritize environmental protection above growth and jobs, and; (4) whether and if so how the association between union membership and support for government spending on environmental protection varies internationally based on the level of economic development and environmental performance. Each study draws on extant data from largescale cross-national attitudinal surveys, using multi-level analysis (MLA) to study union effects at several analytical levels. While the studies are cross-sectional, limiting the ability to make strong causal claims, the empirical results indicate that trade unions ameliorate perceptions of management-worker conflict; augment perceptions of job autonomy and control, particularly where demands are high; and transcend immediate sectional interests in favour of broader long-term agendas related to environmental protection. The present overview locates the empirical studies in a broader theoretical context pertaining to the two overarching themes and elaborates on the causal mechanisms underpinning the research hypotheses.