Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Data from five federal installations are examined in order to determine the relationship between union membership and (1) perceived influence over the determination of working conditions, and (2) satisfaction with participation in determining work conditions in this sector. Union members, compared with nonmember bargaining unit employees, show lowerperceivedparticipation in determining their annual performance standards and less satisfaction with their influence in creating these standards. Lower satisfaction with influence persists even when perceived amount of influence is controlled, supporting the argument that union members in the federal government seek more influence in determining their conditions of work than nonmembers. These results are not indicative of job dissatisfaction or of distrust between labor and management. Rather, they appear to reflect a positive desire among union members for more influence in the agency.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

ALDERFER, C. P. Existence, relatedness and growth: Human needs in organizational settings. New York: Free Press, 1972.

ALDERFER, C. P. , & GUZZO, R. A. Life experiences and adults' enduring strength of desires in organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 1979, 24, 347-361.

ALUTTO, J. A. , & BELASCO, J. Determinants of attitudinal militancy among nurses and teachers. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 1974, 27, 216-227.

BERGER, C. J. , OLSON, C. A. , & BOUDREAU, J. W. Effects of unions on job satisfaction: The role of work-related values and perceived rewards. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 1983, 32, 289-324.

DeCOTIIS, J. A. , & LeLOUARN, J. Y. A predictive study of voting behavior in a representation election using union instrumentality and work perceptions. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 1981, 27, 103-118.

GAERTNER, G. H. , GAERTNER, K. N. , & AKINNUSI, D. M. Environment, strategy, and the implementation of administrative change: The case of civil service reform. Academy of Management Journal, 1984, 27, 525-543.

GETMAN, J. G. , GOLDBERG, S. B. , & HERMAN, J. B. Union representation elections: Law and reality. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1976.

HACKMAN, J. T. , & OLDHAM, G. R. Development of the job diagnostic survey. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1975, 60, 159-170.

HAMMER, T. H. , & BERMAN, M. The role of noneconomic factors in faculty union voting. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1981, 66, 415-421.

10.

HAMNER, W. C. , & SMITH, F. J. Work attitudes as predictors of unionization activity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1978, 63, 415-421.

11.

IMUNDO, L. V., Jr . Why federal government employees join unions. Public Personnel Management, 1973, 2, 23-28.

12.

MARTIN, J. E. State employee affiliation and attitude differences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1978, 63, 654-657.

13.

MARTIN, J. E. , MAGENAU, J. M. , & PETERSON, M. F. Variables differentiating patterns of commitment among union stewards. Proceedings of the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, August, 1982.

14.

ODEWAHN, C. A. , & PETTY, M. M. A comparison of levels of job satisfaction, role stress, and personal competence between union members and nonmembers. Academy of Management Journal, 1980, 23, 150-155.

15.

SMITH, R. L. , & HOPKINS, A. H. Public employee attitudes toward unions. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 1979, 32, 484-495.

16.

STOUFFER, S. A. , SUCHMAN, E. A. , DeVINNEY, L. C. , STAR, S. A. , & WILLIAMS, R. J., Jr. The American soldier (Vol. I). Adjustment during army life. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1949.

17.

TANNENBAUM, A. S. , KAVCIC, B. , MOSNER, M. , VIANELLO, M. , & WIESER, G. Hierarchy in organizations: An international comparison. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1974.

18.

TAYLOR, J. C. , & BOWERS, D. G. The survey of organizations. Institute of Social Research, University of Michigan, 1972.

19.

WARNER, K. S. , CHISHOLM, R. F. , & MUNZENRIDER, R. J. Motives for unionization among state social service employees. Public Personnel Management, 1978, 7, 181-191.

Union Membership and Attitudes Toward Participation in Determining Conditions of Work in the Federal Government

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References