Organizing Activity Among University Clerical Workers

[Excerpt] As union membership has declined and blue-collar employment has contracted, union organizers have shifted their attention to white-collar workers in the largely nonunion service sector. Interviews with union organizers indicate that a disproportionate share of this organizing activity has been aimed at college and university clerical employees. In order to gain a better understanding of this activity, two avenues of inquiry were pursued. Interviews were conducted with 48 union officials who have been involved in university clerical organizing. In addition, a questionnaire concerning the unionization of clerical workers was mailed in 1986 to personnel directors of all colleges and universities in New England with accredited bachelor\u27s degree programs. This paper summarizes the interviews with union officials, focusing on factors which influence organizing success among university clericals. The hypotheses which are developed are then subjected to econometric analysis using data from the survey of personnel directors and other sources

The Social Security Payroll Tax and the Life-Cycle Work Pattern

The distortion of the labor-leisure choice by the Social Security payroll tax is well known. This paper uses a life-cycle model of labor-force effort to show that the combination of the Social Security payroll tax and a maximum taxable income alters the optimum time path of work. We analyze a time-series data set to test the empirical importance of this combination on the market work of younger men. We find that it has a measurable effect on the hours worked by prime-aged men. That is, the individual works a greater number of hours when he can more easily earn an income that is higher than the payroll taxing maximum.