Union Commitment Research Articles

Instrumental and Ideological Union Commitment: Longitudinal Assessment of Construct Validity

Summary: Previous research has identified instrumentality and ideology as important aspects of member attachment to labor unions. The present study evaluated the construct validity of a scale designed to reflect the two dimensions of instrumental and ideological union commitment using a sample of 1170 Swedish blue-collar union members. Longitudinal data were used to test seven propositions referring to the dimensionality, internal consistency reliability, and temporal stability of the scale as well as postulated group differences in union participation to which the scale should be sensitive. Support for the hypothesized factor structure of the scale and for adequate reliabilities of the dimensions was obtained and was also replicated 18 months later. Tests for equality of measurement model parameters and test-retest correlations indicated support for the temporal stability of the scale. In addition, the results were consistent with most of the predicted differences between groups characterized by different patterns of change/stability in union participation status. The study provides strong support for the construct validity of the scale and indicates that it can be used in future theory testing on instrumental and ideological union commitment.

A closer look at the relationship between justice perceptions and union participation.

In this study, a series of nested models was tested to assess the extent to which the relationship between process-related justice and union participation is mediated by perceived union support and union commitment. Members of a steelworkers' local (N = 615) participated in the study. Fit indices most strongly supported a fully mediated model. Unlike previous research, process-related justice was operationalized as 2 distinct variables: procedural and interactional justice. Interactional justice was found to have a substantially stronger relationship with support perceptions than procedural justice. Results also indicated union support accounted for a greater amount of unique variance in union commitment than perceived union instrumentality. The results are discussed in relation to trust theory and the generalization of organization science across different types of organizations.

Commitment to the union: a survey of research and the implications for industrial relations and trade unions

This paper presents an overview of the literature on union commitment. The aim is to survey the main approaches, findings and implications of the research. The nature and dimensionality of union commitment are examined, and the antecedents and consequences of union commitment are discussed in detail, including a review of the implications for union participation. There is also a discussion of the possibility of dual commitment to union and employer, and of the ‘multiple constituencies’ view of commitment. An attempt is made to link the union commitment findings to the wider industrial relations literature on, for example, why people join unions and the ‘union renewal’ thesis. The article concludes by discussing the implications of the literature for union–management relationships and for unions themselves, and with some suggestions for future research.

Commitment to Company and Union: Evidence from Hong Kong

This article examines the pattern and antecedents of employee commitment to company and union in the Hong Kong context. Findings are consistent with those from the United States. In general, company and union commitment have different antecedents, although the perceived industrial relations climate is a common predictor. Dual commitment is in evidence. Union membership is a function of union commitment. The findings caution against attempts to explain the pattern of Hong Kong industrial relations purely in terms of culture.

On the mediterranean “fuzzy edge” of the eu: The candidacies of Malta, Cyprus and Turkey

The paper argues that, despite certain familiar reservations, the EU accession of Malta, Cyprus and, in due course, Turkey should be encouraged and defended. Beyond the socio‐economic and political benefits reasonably expected by all eventual members, accession of the three Mediterranean states will facilitate, or even entail, both the fair resolution of the vexing Cyprus conundrum and the peaceful and rational settlement of the disconcerting Greek‐Turkish dispute. By implication, moreover, their accession will bring tangible, if commonly unforeseen, benefits to the EU itself: it will not only demonstrate the authenticity of the Union's commitment to the Euro‐Med project and its status as an emerging superpower with a moral difference. Simultaneously, this accession will serve the EU's benign geo‐economic and geopolitical ambitions, as it brings the European Union to the heart of the Middle East.

A Comparison of Approaches to Forming Composite Measures in Structural Equation Models

A common practice in applications of structural equation modeling techniques is to create composite measures from individual items. The purpose of this article was to provide an empirical comparison of several composite formation methods on model fit. Data from 1, 177 public school teachers were used to test a model of union commitment in which alternative composite formation methods were used to specify the measurement components of the model. Bootstrapping procedures were used to generate data for two additional sample sizes. Results indicated that the use of composites, in general, resulted in improved overall model fit as compared to treating all items as individual indicators. Lambda values and explained criterion variance indicated that this improved model fit was due to the creation of strong measurement models. Implications of these results for researchers using composites are discussed.

Consequences of Satisfaction with Pay Systems: Two Field Studies

Research on pay satisfaction has been criticized for inattention to determining whether its multiple dimensions have different consequences and for overreliance on cross‐sectional designs. Structural equation analyses of data from two field studies showed that satisfaction with pay systems, but not pay levels, led to greater perceived organizational support, which in turn affected employer commitment and organizational citizenship. Union commitment was a positive function of pay system satisfaction and a negative function of pay level satisfaction.

THE IMPACT OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS CLIMATE, ORGANIZATIONALCOMMITMENT, AND UNION LOYALTY ON ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY.

This paper utilizes the theoretical framework of Gordon and Ladd (1990) to examine the relationship between industrial relations climate, organizational commitment and union loyalty and bank branch performance. Specifically, we investigate the factors that influence the development of a co-operative industrial relations climate, the impact of that climate on both organizational commitment and union loyalty, and how these and other variables (i.e., demographic, job related, organizational, union related, environmental and technological) affect branch level productivity, quality of service, absenteeism, and customer attrition. This research is undertaken in a large Australian based multinational banking organization. The data are drawn from 460 bank branches of unionized non-managerial employees across three time periods. The LISREL results indicate that a cooperative industrial relations climate was associated with significantly higher productivity and significantly lower absenteeism. In addition, both organizational commitment and union loyalty had positive impacts on productivity, with union loyalty also having a negative impact on absenteeism. Other explanatory variables that had significant total causal effects on productivity were job opportunity, union instrumentality (intrinsic), job satisfaction, procedural justice, union satisfaction, collectivist work orientation, gender (%female), openness, branch size, and branch transfer. Furthermore, we found that union instrumentality (intrinsic), collectivist work orientation, union satisfaction, and job opportunity had significant total effects on absenteeism. Finally, branch size displayed a direct negative effect on quality, while ATM transactions had a direct positive impact on customer attrition. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings for unions and organizations are discussed.

Research Notes: The Antecedents and Consequences of Union Commitment: A Meta-Analysis

We tested three published models of union commitment’s antecedents and consequences as well as an integrative model, using correlation coefficients derived from 15 meta-analyses of five union commi...

RESEARCH NOTES: THE ANTECEDENTS AND CONSEQUENCES OF UNION COMMITMENT: A META-ANALYSIS.

We tested three published models of union commitment’s antecedents and consequences as well as an integrative model, using correlation coefficients derived from 15 meta-analyses of five union commi...

Substitution of Organic Solvent Cleaning Agents in the Lithographic Printing Industry

The effectiveness of replacing organic solvents with vegetable oil-based cleaning agents (VCA) for cleaning offset lithographic printing presses has been evaluated at four print works. The occupational and environmental hazards and the technical performance of the organic solvents has been compared with the substitutes. The VCA have a lower environmental impact than the organic solvent cleaning agents, with lower VOC emissions and less waste produced. Occupational exposure to solvents vapours is, as expected, less with the non-volatile VCA. The main health effect is skin and mucous membrane irritation, and gloves are needed when using VCA. Slightly more physical effort is needed on the part of the operator and ergonomic risk is possibly increased. In addition, more attention needs to be paid to housekeeping, particularly in dealing with spillage due to an increased risk of slipping. No special storage facilities are required. VCA do not affect print quality or reduce machine speed, nor do they damage the machines, although compatibility trials are usually needed. Slightly more time is needed to use them and the direct costs can be up to 15% more for the VCA. Retraining operators in the use of the VCA is essential. The environmental and occupational hygiene benefits are clear but there are ergonomic and safety implications and, as direct costs may be higher and production time possibly slightly increased, management and trade union commitment is essential for successful substitution.

Substitution of Organic Solvent Cleaning Agents in the Lithographic Printing Industry

The effectiveness of replacing organic solvents with vegetable oil-based cleaning agents (VCA) for cleaning offset lithographic printing presses has been evaluated at four print works. The occupational and environmental hazards and the technical performance of the organic solvents has been compared with the substitutes. The VCA have a lower environmental impact than the organic solvent cleaning agents, with lower VOC emissions and less waste produced. Occupational exposure to solvents vapours is, as expected, less with the non-volatile VCA. The main health effect is skin and mucous membrane irritation, and gloves are needed when using VCA. Slightly more physical effort is needed on the part of the operator and ergonomic risk is possibly increased. In addition, more attention needs to be paid to housekeeping, particularly in dealing with spillage due to an increased risk of slipping. No special storage facilities are required. VCA do not affect print quality or reduce machine speed, nor do they damage the machines, although compatibility trials are usually needed. Slightly more time is needed to use them and the direct costs can be up to 15% more for the VCA. Retraining operators in the use of the VCA is essential. The environmental and occupational hygiene benefits are clear but there are ergonomic and safety implications and, as direct costs may be higher and production time possibly slightly increased, management and trade union commitment is essential for successful substitution.

Moderators of the Relationship Between Company and Union Commitment: A Meta-Analysis

In this study meta-analysis was used to review systematically the cumulative research on dual commitment and to determine the moderating effects of white- and blue-collar employment, Western and non-Western work values, and differences in the way the commitment concepts are measured on the relations between unionized workers' attitudes of commitment to their unions and to their employing companies. A comprehensive search for relevant dual commitment studies was undertaken through computer and manual searches of published literature and copies of unpublished papers. The final sample contained 31 studies and data on 22,012 unionized employees in 7 countries. The results demonstrated the existence of dual commitment and the existence of moderators of the dual commitment relationship. The moderator analyses indicated that research on cultural work values and industrial relations systems will make an important contribution to our understanding of dual commitment.

Configuração de poder nas organizações: o caso da Embrapa

O presente estudo usou a teoria das configurações de poder proposta por Mintzberg (1983) para perseguir dois principais objetivos: a) identificar quais os tipos de configurações que melhor representariam as relações de poder presentes em uma organização de pesquisa, segundo a percepção dos seus empregados e b) investigar possíveis relações existentes entre algumas variáveis e a percepção de poder que os empregados tinham da organização. A pesquisa foi conduzida na Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária - Embrapa, com uma amostra de 1013 funcionários. Foi utilizada a Escala de Configuração do Poder Organizacional construída por Paz (1996), associada a uma versão reduzida da escala construída por Gordon et al. (1980) para medir o comprometimento sindical - uma das variáveis independentes da pesquisa. Na análise dos dados foram usadas estatísticas descritivas e inferenciais (regressão múltipla do tipo stepwise). Os resultados da pesquisa apontaram as configurações missionária e meritocracia como as que melhor representariam as relações de poder na Embrapa. As variáveis tempo de organização e cargo foram as melhores prognosticadoras dessas duas configurações de poder.

Antecedents of Union Commitment: The Impact of Union Membership Differences in Vertical Dyads and Work Group Relationships

Relational demography has recently been employed to investigate the influence of workplace diversity on organizational outcomes, such as organizational commitment, turnover, and performance (O'Reilly, Caldwell, & Barnett, 1989; Tsui & O'Reilly, 1989; Tsui, Egan, & O'Reilly, 1992; Tsui, Egan, & Porter, 1994). In the present study, we utilize the techniques and theoretical framework employed in the relational demography literature to examine the impact of heterogeneous union membership status within work groups and vertical dyads, and the effect of these differences on union commitment. A composite dataset was created from two Australian hospitals. Analyses of the data were confined to 460 nursing staff who could be identified within 43 specific work groups (hospital wards). The results indicate that while no relationship was found between differences in membership status among co-workers in work groups on commitment, differences between members and their supervisors served to decrease union loyalty and belief in unionism (controlling for other union and organizational factors). Importantly, we found support for an interaction effect between work groups and vertical dyads. Differences in membership status among co-workers were observed to lower union loyalty and willingness to work for the union when supervisors were nonunion members. The implications of such findings for union policy are addressed.

Electronic abstract submissions hit record high

With a new abstract management system nearly on‐line and Fall Meeting submissions just behind, it seems like a good time to take a quick look at the history and future of meetings abstract submission. In 1990, in accordance with the Union's commitment to exploit evolving information technology to enhance the quality of programs and services, experimentation began with receiving abstracts electronically—via e‐mail. Following this innovation, in 1994, LaTex was used fore‐mail submissions. Then, beginning with the 1996 Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting, abstract submissions were received through the AGU World Wide Web site.

Organizational and union commitment among railroad employees

This study examines the relationship between union and organizational commitment among a sample of 1167 railroad employees from four of the seven largest Class I railroads in the U.S. Specifically, the study sought to determine whether union commitment and organizational commitment were contradictory, independent, or complementary forms of commitment. An examination of the association between union and organizational commitment on a variety of employee attitudes and work-related perceptions revealed the two forms of commitment to be independent. Results are discussed in light of the literature and the implications of each form of commitment on the rail industry.

Turnover culture in the hospitality industry

Although turnover culture is considered to be a major problem in the hospitality industry, there is little to no research examining its influence on an employee's decision to stay or leave. This study attempts to address this deficiency by testing a causal model of employee intent to leave using a sample of 246 employees from six five‐star accommodation hotels in Australia. The results indicated that turnover culture was the most important determinant of intent to leave, followed by the variables of job search behaviour, job opportunity, organisational commitment, union loyalty, job satisfaction, career development, routinisation, promotional opportunity, role conflict, and negative affectivity. Based on these findings various HR strategies are formulated, which have wider implications for the management of turnover in other work settings.

Members' Participation in the Union: An Investigation of Some Determinants in Singapore

Data obtained from unionized employees in Singapore (N = 205) were used to investigate Strauss' (1977) suggestion that union participation studies be fitted into the general theories of role and commitment. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine the contribution of role commitment variables (family and union) net of demographic, job or work and union-related variables to the explained variance in a unidimensional model of union participation. The model accounted for 43% (R2) of the explained variance in participation with the role commitment antecedent set contributing a modest 5% (ΔR2). The significant positive individual variables were union satisfaction, union commitment, union tenure, and gender while union socialization and marital status positively, and family commitment negatively approached significance. Extrinsic satisfaction was significantly negatively related to participation. Limitations of the study, directions for future research and the implications of the findings are discussed.

Members' Participation in the Union: An Investigation of Some Determinants in Singapore

Data obtained from unionized employees inSingapore (N = 205) were used to investigate Strauss(1977) suggestion that union participation studies befitted into the general theories of role and commitment. Hierarchical regression analysis was used toexamine the contribution of role commitment variables(family and union) net of demographic, job or work andunion-related variables to the explained variance in a unidimensional model of unionparticipation. The model accounted for 43%(R2) of the explained variance inparticipation with the role commitment antecedent setcontributing a modest 5% (ΔR2). The significant positive individual variableswere union satisfaction, union commitment, union tenure,and gender while union socialization and marital statuspositively, and family commitment negatively approached significance. Extrinsic satisfactionwas significantly negatively related to participation.Limitations of the study, directions for future researchand the implications of the findings arediscussed.