Abstract
Members’ involvement in unions follows a characteristic pattern: years of low participation punctuated by short periods of high participation. Low participation is reflected in poor attendance at union meetings and low turnout in union elections. During high participation periods—generally labor negotiations and strikes—participation can run close to 100 %. Membership participation rarely exists in an intermediate state. This two-state pattern favors election of leaders who are more effective during the long periods of relative quiescence and less effective during the short periods of labor-management conflict. The behaviors of these peacetime union leaders has sometimes been interpreted as a reflection of their political conservatism, but is better understood as an outgrowth of unionism’s two-state existence. The two-state pattern fosters tensions within the union, such as those between more and less active members and between union organizers and business staff.
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