Who Do Unions Target? Unionization Over the Life-Cycle of U.S. Businesses

79 Pages Posted: 14 Mar 2014

See all articles by Emin Dinlersoz

Emin Dinlersoz

Center for Economic Studies - US Census Bureau

Jeremy Greenwood

University of Pennsylvania - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Henry R. Hyatt

U.S. Census Bureau - Center for Economic Studies

Multiple version iconThere are 4 versions of this paper

Date Written: February 01, 2014

Abstract

What type of businesses do unions target for organizing and when? A dynamic model of the union organizing process is constructed to answer this question. A union monitors establishments in an industry to learn about their productivity, and decides which ones to organize and when. An establishment becomes unionized if the union targets it for organizing and wins the union certification election. The model predicts two main selection effects: unions target larger and more productive establishments early in their life-cycles, and among the establishments targeted, unions are more likely to win elections in smaller and less productive ones. These predictions find support in union certification elections data for 1977-2007 matched with data on establishment characteristics.

Keywords: Unionization, Union Organizing, Union Certification Election, Diffusion of Unionization, Bayesian Learning, Productivity.

JEL Classification: J5, J50, J51, L11, L23, L25, L6, D24, D21.

Suggested Citation

Dinlersoz, Emin and Greenwood, Jeremy and Hyatt, Henry R., Who Do Unions Target? Unionization Over the Life-Cycle of U.S. Businesses (February 01, 2014). US Census Bureau Center for Economic Studies Paper No. CES-WP- 14-09, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2408026 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2408026

Emin Dinlersoz (Contact Author)

Center for Economic Studies - US Census Bureau ( email )

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Jeremy Greenwood

University of Pennsylvania - Department of Economics ( email )

Ronald O. Perelman Center for Political Science
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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Henry R. Hyatt

U.S. Census Bureau - Center for Economic Studies ( email )

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Washington, DC 20233
United States

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