Labor Unions Research Articles

Global Value Chains, Labor Rights, and the Nature of Transnational Law

Abstract This Article develops a framework to analyze the laws that bear on working conditions in global value chains (GVCs), a production structure based on hierarchical international firm networks. In so doing, it contributes to broader debates about how to conceptualize law under contemporary “globalization.” The Article argues against the widespread view that GVCs—and today’s globalized legal order—are fundamentally different from a prior regime of Westphalian state sovereignty. Instead of this vision of globalization as rupture with the past, the Article proposes a “monist” perspective according to which the state has always been embedded in a single body of conflicting and contested transnational legal rules. In this view, sovereign power was never something of which all states could have more or less. Rather, sovereignty is a bundle of rights that can only ever be distributed to specific states vis-à-vis one another and private actors like labor unions and corporations. The Article emphasizes the analytical benefits of this conceptualization of transnational law for policy projects like those of improving working conditions in GVCs and empowering workers globally.

Banana Ketchup

Banana ketchup is an iconic marker of Filipino cultural identity. Across the homeland/diaspora divide, the Filipino public celebrates the memory of Maria Y. Orosa, the food scientist, early immigrant to the American West Coast, and anti-Japanese guerrilla fighter, for her creation of the country’s favorite sauce or sawsawan. The history of this beloved food item is often recounted as a narrative of scientific innovation, anticolonial resistance, and sovereignty. This essay explores the work that such narratives do, noting not only how they are invoked as frames for Filipinos and Filipino Americans’ critiques of gustatory coloniality but also how they can themselves veil other political realities deserving of attention. At banana ketchup manufacturing plants in the Philippines, laborers and allies reimagine the condiment not as a proud symbol of identity but rather as a vessel of labor exploitation, union busting, and police brutality. This alternative narrative is often eclipsed by modes of storytelling that elevate Orosa’s ingenious substitution of a native fruit like bananas for an imported product like tomatoes as an emblem of gustatory independence. Documenting an essential piece of Filipino food history yet to receive much scholarly attention, this essay ultimately asks how ways of remembering food history can themselves become ways of forgetting. Its aim is to offer an intervention toward bringing cultural memory and contemporary labor struggles between the Filipino homeland and diaspora into political relation.

근로자대표 관련 근로기준법 일부개정법률(안)에 대한 소고

The worker representative system has been expanded as the subject of written agreement and hearing opinions in labor laws, including the Labor Standards Act. Workers' representatives are recognized as important in determining working conditions at workplaces in a situation where the limitations of the traditional working condition determination system are faced due to the low labor union organization rate and diversification of employment types. However, in fact, there are no legal protection regulations for the selection procedure, method, status and activity guarantee of worker representatives, so they are not functioning properly. On October 16, 2020, the Economic, Social & Labor Council announced the results of the Labor-Management Agreement on the Improvement of the Workers' Representation System, and on March 6, 2023, the government announced the legislation of a partial amendment to the Labor Standards Act related to the Workers' Representation System based on the Economic, Social & Labor Council. However, it cannot be said that the government's legislative amendment bill has sought legislative measures in line with the principle of equal working conditions, and legislative reorganization should be prepared to enable equal decisions by labor and management, including when there is no labor union in the workplace based on Article 32 (3) of the Constitution or in light of the basic ideology of equal working conditions in labor contracts. Considering the relationship with the labor union, it is not easy to achieve its legal intention properly without an agreement between labor and management and constant efforts by labor and management to realize the system as originally intended. It will be necessary to seek an institutional search to realize the principle of equal working conditions even under realistic constraints, and giving workers' representatives a role in writing and changing employment rules is also positive in that sense.

The political economy of municipal bankruptcy

We analyze the political determinants of municipal bankruptcy law. Our model predicts municipal-bankruptcy-law adoption should drive lower municipalities’ borrowing costs and higher municipal-bond-financed private investment. Ex-ante, weaker labor unions, stronger bondholders’ interests, and more effective courts should drive a higher likelihood of municipal bankruptcy law adoption. In our model, financial reform destroys union rents and fosters investment opportunities. These predictions are broadly consistent with extant evidence.

노동조합의 특성요인이 경영성과에 미치는 영향 : 조직몰입의 매개효과를 중심으로

[Purpose] In this study, the characteristic factors of labor unions, such as the ethics and the efficacy of the union, are taken as the independent variables, and the effect on performance is analyzed by using organizational commitment as a parameter. [Methodology] This study adopts a survey method. Reliability analysis, factor analysis, correlation analysis, and regression analysis aree performed for statistical analysis, and SPSS version 26 is used for statistical processing package. [Findings] First, the ethics of the union and the efficacy of the union have a significant defining effect on management performance. Second, the ethics of the union and the efficacy of the union are found to have a statistically significant defining effect on organizational commitment. Third, it is found that organizational commitment has a positive (＋) effect on management performance. Fourth, in the process of the main characteristic factors of labor unions, such as the ethics of the union and the efficacy of the union, affecting the management performance, organizational commitment shows a mediating effect. [Implications] These findings will contribute to the development of trade unions in our country. It will also shed light on the determinants of sustainable corporate performance.

Treatment organization of disabled veterans with mental illnesses in the post-war years (1945–1950) (based on the materials of the Tambov Psychiatric Hospital)

Importance. Studying the treatment features of participants and disabled veterans of the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945, who were in regional psychiatric hospitals, allows not only to clarify the levels of medical care for such military veterans, but also to evaluate the results of public health organization in the postwar years through the prism of Soviet psychiatry development in the 20th century, as well as the results of medical care for war veterans. A detailed study of the situation of disabled veterans in psychiatric clinics in the post-war period is very useful, which will clarify many little-studied aspects not only of the history of medicine, but also of the development of interpersonal, group, and regional relations in socialist society.Research Methods. The methodological features of the study of the stated problems are based on the author’s concept of involving the works of contemporaries, primarily specialists in the field of psychiatry, practitioners of the Tambov region, as well as the actual case histories and anamnesis of mental illness. Materials from state and party archives of the Tambov region and memoirs of contemporaries were used, many of which were introduced into scientific circulation for the first time.Results and Discussion. In fact, patients of psychiatric hospitals in the post-war period received almost the entire necessary complex of therapeutic and preventive procedures and rehabilitation measures. At the same time, it must be borne in mind that the post-war devastation, lack of food, clothing, and a number of medicines seriously complicated the capabilities of medical organizations, which often did not have the necessary resources to fully organize the treatment of war veterans suffering from mental illness. In addition, there are often problems with heating, the supply of necessary equipment and supplies for the psychiatric hospital, which left an imprint on practical health care at the regional level. Nevertheless, Tambov psychiatrists used the full range of medical procedures and medicines available to them, both traditional and new, which gave a tangible therapeutic effect. It is important to note that in the post-war years there is a complete rejection of the elements of “punitive” psychiatry due to the cessation of placing patients in isolation, as well as wet wraps. In addition, the use of intensive treatment methods required coordination with the chief physician.Conclusion. The results of the study of the problem made it possible to assess these processes, viewed through the prism of the development of regional health care, to identify trends in the development of Soviet psychiatry in the first post-war decade. The development of an outpatient network for the provision of medical care to war invalids suffering from mental disorders and diseases is clarified. The assessment of the placement of military veterans in labor unions, enterprises and homes for the disabled is given. It is concluded that, in general, regional psychiatry has shown its capacity and effectiveness in terms of treatment and rehabilitation of military invalids who had mental illnesses.

Interest Groups and EU-Turkey Relations: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Labor Unions and Employers’ Associations

This study delves into the perspectives of Turkish labor unions (TÜRK-İŞ, HAK-İŞ, DİSK) and employers' associations (DİSK, TİSK) about Turkey's EU accession. Employing Critical Discourse Analysis, it uncovers how these narratives mirror the intricate interplay of economic, political, and social elements in EU-Turkey relations. Analyzing speeches and documents, the research spots common and differing viewpoints. The findings reveal a universal desire for just EU integration, but with distinct emphases on sovereignty, economy, and social justice. This work sheds light on Turkey's unique position in EU affairs and the influence of various interest group narratives on international policy-making.

The Global Gig Economy: How Transport Platform Companies Adapt to Regulatory Challenges—A Comparative Analysis of Six Countries

Abstract Non-standard employment practises in the gig economy have recently drawn critical attention from regulators and the courts in a number of jurisdictions across the globe. Transport platform companies have responded to these challenges in several distinct ways in an emerging global battle to preserve their business model. This article provides a typology of the different strategies employed by these companies in six countries, highlighting five key strategies of regulatory activism, strategic litigation in defence of a business model, tactical subcontracting, negotiations with labour unions and threatening to withdraw services. It then shows how the structural features of the gig economy may be diverging into four distinct models in the European Union, China, the United States and the rest of the world. The study contributes to our understanding of the global nature of the struggle for fair working conditions and how platform companies operate in different institutional and regulatory contexts.

Keeping them honest? Exploring the impact of labor unions on CSR

PurposeThe role of labor unions in relation to corporate social responsibility (CSR) remains both ambiguous and crucial for union members and business leaders. Given the complex relationship between labor unions and corporations, this study aims to address whether labor unions keep corporations honest (by monitoring CSR activities) or potentially render CSR initiatives less necessary.Design/methodology/approachUsing data from the MSCI Kinder, Lydenberg, Domini Database for firms in the Russell 1000 Index, this study examines the link between labor unions and CSR in U.S. companies over a six year period. Generalized least squares models were used to test the hypotheses for 3,937 firm-year observations.FindingsThe findings show that unionized companies generally pay less attention to CSR compared to nonunionized ones. The presence of labor unions and positive union-management relations both show a significant negative impact on CSR ratings, where positive union-management relations negatively affect CSR ratings more than just the presence of labor unions. Further, when considering the environmental, social and governance aspects of CSR separately, the results are more complex, suggesting that the relationship between labor unions and CSR varies depending on specific ESG dimensions.Originality/valueCSR, a well-researched area, rarely addresses the companies' relationships with labor unions. Studies in South Korea and the UK have touched on the impact of labor unions on CSR, but in the USA it remains unexplored. This study extends this line of work by examining U.S. companies.

Labor dynamics and unions: An empirical analysis through Okun's Law

The understanding between labor dynamics and unions is a topic of great interest to economists and policymakers. It is known that unions can influence the working conditions of employees, either to their benefit or detriment. Using data for the G-7 countries over the period 1980–2023, the relationship between labor dynamics and unionization is examined. The association studied partly determines the collective bargaining behavior of unions. Thus, it was determined that in some cases (Italy), unions have rather rigid positions in their negotiations (positive relationship). On the contrary, unions such as the German ones show a rather flexible position (negative relationship). In addition, it was found that unions in the USA and Canada evolve towards more flexible reforms as their membership increases (positive-negative relationship). Also, the findings show how unions in some countries (Japan and UK) move from flexibility towards rigidity as they gain presence (negative-positive relationship).

Historical Perspective of Industrial Relationship in Nigeria

This study provides a comprehensive examination of the evolution of industrial relations in Nigeria, tracing its historical development from the colonial era through post-independence fluctuations, military rule, structural adjustments, and contemporary global influences. It highlights the interplay between colonial legacies, nationalism, authoritarian governance, economic liberalisation, and globalisation in shaping Nigeria's labour landscape. Analysing the various eras—Colonial, Post-Independence, Military Interregnum, Structural Adjustment, Return to Democracy, and Contemporary Global Influences—the study underscores the dynamic interactions among government policies, employer strategies, labour union activities, and international forces. It delves into the challenges of political interference, corruption, legal inadequacies, global labour standards, and economic transformations. The study emphasises the importance of resilience, adaptability, and collaborative dialogue in navigating the complexities of industrial relations towards ensuring labour equity and economic progress in Nigeria's continuously evolving socio-economic.

Гедонизм в поэзии и имидже Генриха Сапгира

Genrikh Sapgir was an author of the “Lianozovo school” of Russian uncensored poetry. He held a dual position in the literature of his time, as he was a well-known official children’s writer, which provided his relatively good (for the USSR) standard of living, while simultaneously his whole “mature” period of poetry lay in the field of uncensored poetry, without crossing its borders into official poetry. In his personal life, however, Sapgir would often cross borders: in artistic circles his image was that of a hedonistic trouble-making dandy who loved feasts, women, and the bohemian lifestyle. This image did not fit within the frame of the common concept of the “illicit poet” due to Sapgir’s many acquaintances among official authors and his material wellbeing; however, it also challenged the conventions for official literature, because official artists’ personal behavior was constantly monitored by the party apparatus and labor unions. Hedonistic motifs played a very important role throughout his uncensored poetic oeuvre. It would be reasonable to assume that Sapgir’s behavior continued the traditions of “life creation” of the modernist period under the new sociocultural and political circumstances of the cultural underground in the late Soviet era.

The economic costs of obesity: evidence from China

ABSTRACT The world is getting fat. This paper studies the economic costs of employee obesity to firms in China. Using the Work Environment Survey of Chinese Employees (WESCE), we find that the economic cost of a one-standard-deviation-increase in the employee obesity rate is about $110,000. The channel analysis suggests that obesity-induced poor health and sickness absenteeism result in productivity loss. We further find that the obesity rate among employees can be reduced if the labour union pays attention to the diet, exercise, and health of employees. One of the policy implications is that firms should set up a union-like body and require it to pay attention to employees’ health.

What Are Graduate Labor Unions and How Do They Work?

What Are Graduate Labor Unions and How Do They Work?

Measuring labor market transitions with time series of cross sections

We consider the problem of measuring transition probabilities when panel data is not available and retrospective data is measured with error. We establish point-identification conditions of transition probabilities and propose a method to estimate them using time series of cross sections. We illustrate the application of our results using the European Union Labor Force Survey.

Mobilisation towards formal employment in the healthcare system: A qualitative study of community health workers in South Africa.

In low and middle-income countries, community health workers (CHWs) play a critical role in delivering primary healthcare (PHC) services. However, they often receive low stipends, function without resources and have little bargaining power with which to demand better working conditions. Using a qualitative case study methodology, we studied CHWs' conditions of employment, their struggle for recognition as health workers, and their activities to establish labour representation in South Africa. Seven CHW teams located in semi-urban and rural areas of Gauteng and Mpumalanga Provinces were studied. We conducted 43 in-depth interviews, 10 focus groups and 6 observations to gather data from CHWs and their representatives, supervisors and PHC facility staff. The data was analysed using thematic analysis method. In the rural and semi-urban sites, the CHWs were poorly resourced and received meagre remuneration, their employment outsourced, without employment benefits and protection. As a result of these challenges, the CHWs in the semi-urban sites established a task team to represent them. They held meetings and caused disruptions in the health facilities. After numerous unsuccessful attempts to negotiate for improved conditions of employment, the CHWs joined a labour union in order to participate in the local Bargaining Council. Though they were not successful in getting the government to provide permanent employment, the union negotiated an increase in their stipend. After the study ended, during the height of COVID-19 in 2020, when the need for motivated and effective CHWs became more apparent to decision makers, the semi-urban-based teams received permanent employment with a better remuneration. The task team and their protests raised awareness of the plight of the CHWs, and joining a formal union enabled them to negotiate a modest salary increase. However, it was the emergency created by the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic that forced decision-makers to acknowledge their reliance on this community-based cadre.

Agendas on Nursing in South Korea Media: Natural Language Processing and Network Analysis of News From 2005 to 2022.

In recent years, Korean society has increasingly recognized the importance of nurses in the context of population aging and infectious disease control. However, nurses still face difficulties with regard to policy activities that are aimed at improving the nursing workforce structure and working environment. Media coverage plays an important role in public awareness of a particular issue and can be an important strategy in policy activities. This study analyzed data from 18 years of news coverage on nursing-related issues. The focus of this study was to examine the drivers of the social, local, economic, and political agendas that were emphasized in the media by the analysis of main sources and their quotes. This analysis revealed which nursing media agendas were emphasized (eg, social aspects), neglected (eg, policy aspects), and negotiated. Descriptive analysis, natural language processing, and semantic network analysis were applied to analyze data collected from 2005 to 2022. BigKinds were used for the collection of data, automatic multi-categorization of news, named entity recognition of news sources, and extraction and topic modeling of quotes. The main news sources were identified by conducting a 1-mode network analysis with SNAnalyzer. The main agendas of nursing-related news coverage were examined through the qualitative analysis of major sources' quotes by section. The common and individual interests of the top-ranked sources were analyzed through a 2-mode network analysis using UCINET. In total, 128,339 articles from 54 media outlets on nursing-related issues were analyzed. Descriptive analysis showed that nursing-related news was mainly covered in social (99,868/128,339, 77.82%) and local (48,056/128,339, 48.56%) sections, whereas it was rarely covered in economic (9439/128,339, 7.35%) and political (7301/128,339, 5.69%) sections. Furthermore, 445 sources that had made the top 20 list at least once by year and section were analyzed. Other than "nurse," the main sources for each section were "labor union," "local resident," "government," and "Moon Jae-in." "Nursing Bill" emerged as a common interest among nurses and doctors, although the topic did not garner considerable attention from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Analyzing quotes showed that nurses were portrayed as heroes, laborers, survivors of abuse, and perpetrators. The economic section focused on employment of youth and women in nursing. In the political section, conflicts between nurses and doctors, which may have caused policy confusion, were highlighted. Policy formulation processes were not adequately reported. Media coverage of the enactment of nursing laws tended to relate to confrontations between political parties. The media plays a crucial role in highlighting various aspects of nursing practice. However, policy formulation processes to solve nursing issues were not adequately reported in South Korea. This study suggests that nurses should secure policy compliance by persuading the public to understand their professional perspectives.

Voting for trade protectionist parties: Evidence from nine waves of the European Social Survey

This article empirically investigates the impact of globalization on voting behavior. Specifically, combining individual-level data from the first nine waves of the European Social Survey, party-level information from the Comparative Manifesto Project, and country-level data from Eurostat, we study the individual determinants of the vote for trade protectionist parties. Our findings show, firstly, that protectionist parties mainly receive electoral support from less-educated voters, unemployed individuals, and members of labor unions. Secondly, we test the compensation principle using a macro measure of a country's compensation potential and find, contrary to expectations, no significant evidence that a greater potential to mitigate the labor market adjustment costs resulting from economic openness deters the propensity to vote for protectionist parties in national elections.

Investigation into Digital Skills in the European Union Labor Market: A Case Study of the Banking Sector

The digitization of the economy has emerged as a global trend, particularly pronounced in the past decade and significantly accelerated in the last five years. Recognizing the transformative impact of digitization on the structure of the labor market, the European Union has identified digital skills as crucial elements affecting employment and income distribution. With digital technologies permeating various sectors of the European economy over the past decade, over 40% of EU workers have encountered changes or replacements in the technologies they utilize at work. This paper delves into the political, economic, socio-cultural, and technological factors influencing the development of digital skills within the European Union, employing a PEST analysis framework, with a specific focus on the banking sector.

Labor Unions and the Electoral Consequences of Trade Liberalization

Abstract We show that the Brazilian trade liberalization in the early 1990s led to a permanent relative decline in the vote share of left-wing presidential candidates in the regions more affected by the tariff cuts. This happened even though the shock, implemented by a right-wing party, induced a contraction in manufacturing and formal employment in the more affected regions, and despite the left’s identification with protectionist policies. To rationalize this response, we consider a new institutional channel for the political effects of trade shocks: the weakening of labor unions. We provide support for this mechanism in two steps. First, we show that union presence—proxied by the number of workers directly employed by unions, by union density, and by the number of union establishments—declined in regions that became more exposed to foreign competition. Second, we show that the negative effect of tariff reductions on the votes for the left was driven exclusively by political parties with historical links to unions. Furthermore, the impact of the trade liberalization on the vote share of these parties was significant only in regions that had unions operating before the reform. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that tariff cuts reduced the vote share of the left partly through the weakening of labor unions. This institutional channel is fundamentally different from the individual-level responses, motivated by economic or identity concerns, that have been considered in the literature.