Activism and willingness to help in union organizing : who are the activists?

“The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com” Copyright SpringerResearch on union renewal often cites a critical role for lay activism. This study examines determinants of activism and activism intentions among a broadly representative sample of U.S. union members. Hypotheses are developed from theory and previous research on union commitment and participation. Results for current activism are generally consistent with prior work. Extending the model to future intentions to help with organizing, an interesting contrast is that pro-union attitude influences appear much more important than do union instrumentality perceptions. This suggests that “covenant” rather than “exchange” concerns are more salient for this form of activism. Findings for ideological orientation support this interpretation.Peer reviewe

Union decline and renewal in Australia and Britain: Lessons from Closed Shops

Declining union density in Australia and Britain has focused attention on the need for union reorganization. This article examines how the development of closed shops in the two countries influenced member exit rates and the internal union relations now affecting union renewal. Findings show that legislative support for the Australian closed shop tended to foster more union dependency on state and employers, union bureaucratization, less active stewards and more dissatisfied members than in Britain. The subsequent outlawing of the Australian closed shop and increasing employer hostility resulted in higher levels of density decline than in Britain. While the greater resilience of British density supports the case for developing strong workplace unionism, the relative bureaucratization of Australian unions within an increasingly antagonistic context, against the British situation of relatively indifferent employers and steward independence, limits the transferability of strategies designed to achieve union renewal