Globalization, Labor Market Transformation, and Union Decline in U.S. Metropolitan Areas

Abstract

In this study, we analyze the determinants of total, private, and public sector union density among 191 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas in 2003. In particular, we examine the effects of globalization and labor market transformation on metropolitan union density while controlling for labor market structure, the business cycle, and the political climate. Our analysis demonstrates that (1) globalization and labor market transformation have crosscutting but, on balance, negative effects on union density; (2) there are both similarities and differences in determinants of private and public sector unionism; and (3) business cycle and labor market structure variables are weak, but political climate variables are strong determinants of union density.