ABSTRACT
Recent structural changes in political, social, and economic systems, coupled with changes in employer-employee relations and human resource policies and practices (e.g. strategic compensation systems, participative management programs, contingent workers, team work structures), are associated with a decline in the proportion of working individuals who belong to labour unions in several Western industrialized nations (Hartley, 1995). In this context, researchers interested in labour unions have begun to develop methods to build union commitment and increase union participation. While stewards are recognized as an important influence on members’ attitudes and behaviours, relatively little research has examined the antecedents or consequences of steward behaviour. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter was to develop and test a model of the relationship between stewards’ satisfaction, participation, and perceptions of union performance.
