This paper outlines a “collective voice” approach for examining the behavioral determinants of variation in strike activity at the organizational level. The author argues that strikes should be viewed primarily as expressions of worker discontent rather than a result of imperfect or asymmetrical information. An analysis of survey data collected from 112 Canadian firms in 1980–81 indicates that managerial practices, operations size and technology, product market structure and conditions, union politics, and various other factors that influence the behavioral context of negotiations are significantly related to days lost due to strike activity. These findings are generally consistent with predictions from the collective voice approach.
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