Quantile Regression Estimates of the Union Wage Effect for Great Britain

Abstract

This paper assesses the impact that trade unions have on the wage rates paid to workers in Great Britain using data from the Labour Force Survey. By employing a quantile regression model, this analysis is conducted over the entire range of the earnings distribution, where it is found that unions have more scope for increasing the earnings of workers on the very lowest of wage rates. Asymmetries in the effects of union membership and union coverage are also found to exist for employees across all earnings levels.