Validation of a measure of perceived union support.

Abstract

Research on union member attitudes has focused chiefly on union commitment and union instrumentality, which has provided a limited view of the relationship of the union with its members. In this study a confirmatory factor analysis was done to evaluate the construct validity of a measure of perceived union support by examining its distinctiveness from union commitment and union instrumentality. A total of 287 members of a large telecommunications local in the Midwest completed a survey of union member attitudes. Results showed that perceived union support was a unidimensional scale that was distinct from union loyalty and union instrumentality. However, all three of these constructs were correlated, suggesting the need for future research to examine potential causal linkages. Until recently, very few studies in the applied psychology or management literatures have focused on members' attitudes toward and perceptions of their unions. Starting with Gordon and his colleagues' pioneering work on union commitment (Gordon, Philpot, Burt, Thompson, & Spiller, 1980), a number of empirical (e.g., Fukami & Larson, 1984; Fullagar & Barling, 1989; Tetrick, Thacker, & Fields, 1989; Thacker, Fields, & Tetrick, 1989) and conceptual articles (Gallagher & Clark, 1989; Newton & Shore, 1992) have begun to appear on the topic of union member attitudes. The majority of these studies have focused on union commitment and, to a lesser extent, union instrumentality (Fullagar & Barling, 1989). This is in stark contrast to the research on attitudes of employees toward their employers, which includes a wide array of concepts and measures, many of which provide valuable insights into the nature of the employment relationship. This suggests the need for additional concepts and measures for understanding the nature of the relationship between the union and its members. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to provide construct validity evidence for a measure of perceived union support. Drawing from Eisenberger, Huntington, Hutchison, and Sowa's (1986) concept of perceived organizational support, perceived union support is based on members' global beliefs concerning the extent to which the union values their contributions and cares about their well-being. As such, perceived union support reflects the extent to which members view the union as being committed to them. The organizational commitment literature focusing on the