In preparation for a representational election following a hospital merger, one union initiated a study of its members’ perceptions. Telephone interviews with a random sample of 410 union members assessed the union’s provision of service to its members, communication with members, union satisfaction, union democracy, union loyalty and their sense of community. Union loyalty, union satisfaction, sense of community and union democracy were the best predictors of the members’ views and attitudes about their union, and their predisposition to support the union in the representational election. The results demonstrate the importance of both instrumentality and socialization in a union’s survival.
Baraldi S. ( 2008) Union mergers in times of restructuring: A psychological approach. Doctoral thesis, Stockholm University, Sweden.
2.
Baraldi S., Sverke M., and Chaison G. ( 2006) The difficulty of implementing union mergers: Investigating the role of members’ merger orientation. Economic and Industrial Democracy27(3): 485-504.
3.
Baraldi S., Sverke M., and Chaison G. ( 2008) Absorptions in times of restructuring: The buffering effect of merger attitude on post-merger attachment decline. In: Baraldi S, Union mergers in times of restructuring: A psychological approach. Doctoral thesis, Stockholm University, Sweden.
4.
Barling J., Fullagar C., and Kelloway EK ( 1992) The Union and its Members: A Psychological Approach. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
5.
Bissonnette A., Catano VM, and Kelloway EK ( 2002) Att öka medlemmarnas deltagande i facket [Increasing membership participation in the union]. In: Sverke M, Hellgren J (eds) Medlemmen, facket och flexibiliteten: Svensk fackföreningsrörelse i det moderna arbetslivet [The member, the union, and flexibility: Swedish unionism in modern working life]. Lund, Sweden: Arkiv Förlag, 217-233.
Catano VM, Kelloway EK ( 1997) Evaluating the effectiveness of a political action campaign on union members. In: Sverke M (ed.) The Future of Trade Unionism: International Perspectives on Emerging Union Structures. Aldershot: Ashgate, 361-375.
8.
Catano VM, Cole G., and Hebert N. ( 1995) Can union commitment be developed? A quasi-experimental analysis. In: Tetrick LE, Barling J (eds) Behavioral and Social Perspectives on Changing Employment Relations. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 289-310.
9.
Chacko TI ( 1985) Member participation in union activities: Perceptions of union priorities, performance, and satisfaction. Journal of Labor Research6: 363-373.
10.
Chaison G. ( 1996) Union Mergers in Hard Times: The View from Five Countries . Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
11.
Chaison G. ( 2004) Union mergers in the US and abroad. Journal of Labor Research25: 97-115.
12.
Fullagar C., Gallagher DG, Clark PF, and Gordon ME ( 1994) A model of the antecedents of early union commitment: The role of socialization experiences and steward characteristics. Journal of Organizational Behavior15: 517-533.
13.
Fullagar C., Gallagher DG, Clark PF, and Gordon ME ( 1995) Impact of early socialization on union commitment and participation: A longitudinal study. Journal of Applied Psychology80: 147-157.
14.
Fullagar C., Slick R., Sumer C., and Marquardt P. ( 1997) Union attitudes: Ideologues and instrumentalists. In: Sverke M (ed.) The Future of Trade Unionism: International Perspectives on Emerging Union Structures. Aldershot: Ashgate, 263-276.
15.
Gallagher DG ( 2002) Tidsbegränsade anställningskontrakt - utmaningar för facket [Temporary employment contracts: Challenges for the unions] . In: Sverke M, Hellgren J (eds) Medlemmen, facket och flexibiliteten: Svensk fackföreningsrörelse i det moderna arbetslivet [The member, the union and flexibility: Swedish unionism in modern working life]. Lund: Arkiv Förlag, 131-145.
16.
Glick W., Mirvis P., and Harder D. ( 1977) Union satisfaction and participation. Industrial Relations16: 141-151.
17.
Goslinga S., Sverke M. ( 2003) Atypical work and trade union membership: Union attitudes and union turnover among traditional vs atypically employed union members . Economic and Industrial Democracy24: 290-311.
18.
Keaveny TJ, Rose J., and Fossum J. ( 1988) Predicting support for unionization: Part-time versus full time workers and professional/technical blue collar workers. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Industrial Relations Research Association, New York, December.
19.
Kelloway EK, Catano VM, and Southwell RS ( 1992) The construct validity of union commitment: Development and dimensionality of a shorter scale. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology65: 197-211.
20.
Kelloway EK, Barling J., and Catano VM ( 1997) Union attitudes as a perceptual filter. In: Sverke M (ed.) The Future of Trade Unionism: International Perspectives on Emerging Union Structures. Aldershot: Ashgate, 225-237.
21.
Palmer G., Parry J., and Webb M. ( 2005) Small unions and mergers: Evidence from two case studies . Employee Relations27: 340-353.
22.
Perkins D., Florin P., Rich R., Wandersman A., and Chavis D. ( 1990) Participation and the social and physical environment of residential blocks: Crime and community context. American Journal of Community Psychology18: 83-116.
Strauss G., Gallagher G., and Florio J. ( 1991) The State of the Unions. Madison, WI : Industrial Relations Research Association (IRRA) .
25.
Streeck W., Visser J. ( 1997) The rise of the conglomerate union. European Journal of Industrial Relations3: 305-332.
26.
Sverke M., Sjöberg A. ( 1997) Ideological and instrumental union commitment. In: Sverke M (ed.) The Future of Trade Unionism: International Perspectives on Emerging Union Structures. Aldershot: Ashgate, 277-293.
27.
Tetrick LE ( 1993) Developing and maintaining union commitment: A theoretical framework. Paper presented at the invited International Workshop on Union Commitment, Amsterdam.
