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Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to focus attention on union-management (U-M) ideology as a potential explanatory variable in labor relations and to demonstrate a comprehensive methodfor empirically measuring the ideology of union and management representatives. The semantic differential and antecedent-consequent techniques are used to measure both the affective and denotative meaning of key U-M beliefs underlying the conduct of labor relations in the United States. Inclusion of the denotative aspect of beliefs in this study provides a more comprehensive measure of union-management ideology than previously available.

Significant differences (p < .01) were found to exist between union (n = 34) and management (n = 38) respondents on all 10 U-M beliefs measured. Differences and similarities between the ideological frames of reference of union and management representatives are discussed. Identification and comprehensive measurement of operative U-M beliefs represents a necessary first step toward improving the usefulness of ideology as an explanatory variable of specific types of union-management interaction.

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Union-Management Ideological Frames of Reference

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