ABSTRACT
The desire of non-members for union membership, and members’ satisfaction with representation by their union, are higher where the union is perceived as an effective organisation capable of delivering better terms and conditions for employees (Bryson 2003). Higher union effectiveness implies higher returns to membership net of costs (Farber and Western 2002). An increase in perceived union effectiveness will increase the individual’s propensity to purchase membership (or remain a member) by shifting the individual’s perceptions of the benefits relative to the costs. The relative returns to membership are not the only factor determining employees’ union-joining behaviour and union membership status. Other factors include social background, parental influence, demographic characteristics, job satisfaction, employer attitudes to unionisation and the availability of other voice mechanisms, and the joining decisions of others in the same workplace. However, the role of union effectiveness has attracted less attention. The literature indicates that unions can help determine their own future through strategic choices (Boxall and Haynes 1997). Broadly speaking, there are two dimensions to the choices currently facing unions. The first concerns how unions engage with their two constituencies, namely employees and employers. The choice is usually characterised as one between ‘organising’ workers and ‘partnership’ with the employer. Although the two are not mutually exclusive, there may be a tension between the two approaches, stemming from the priority unions attach to employer objectives. The second dimension relates to the weight unions attach to servicing their current membership versus organising non-members. Most research has focused on the former, what I term, organising effectiveness. What is lacking is research on what makes unions effective in the eyes of employees. This is surprising, given that at a time of declining membership, declining union density and rising never-membership (Bryson and Gomez 2002), unions have an interest in identifying measures which can improve recruitment and retention of union members. Improving employee perceptions of union effectiveness is one such method.
