Evolution of nonunion employee representation in Canada

Canadians have greater latitude in operating nonunion plans without fear of unfair labor practice challenges, while Americans are constrained by the National Labor Relations Act. The reasons for Canada’s divergence from the U.S. approach are described. The details of Canadian statutes pertaining to nonunion representation are discussed. The article then explores the nonunion terrain that developed in Canada in the face of the continued legality of nonunion representation. The fates of a number of historically significant nonunion plans are presented. New data from a 1996 survey by Lipset and Meltz indicate that despite significant public policy differences, penetration of nonunion forms is remarkably similar in the two countries.     

Current prospects for employee representation in the U.S.: Old wine in new bottles?

A major issue currently being debated in the U.S. is whether to allow employers to establish works councils, employee committees, or other representational systems not permitted under the current labor laws. I bring economic, political, and historical analysis to bear on this issue and recommend an experimental relaxation of current law proscribing employer assistance to labor organizations. This is likely to improve the quality of employee participation, although it is unlikely to raise the amount of it.     

How employee empowerment influences organization–employee relationship in China

The current study examines how employees’ perceptions of empowerment impact the quality of the organization–employee relationship. Based on the on-line survey of 223 employees from a variety of companies in China, both dimensions of employee empowerment—feelings of competence and feelings of control—serve as positive predictors for organization–employee relationship. However, employees’ feelings of control wield more weight in the prediction than do feelings of competence.     

State employee bargaining legislation

The authors test competing hypotheses drawn from the public versus private interest theories of regulation to determine the status of bargaining rights of state employees. N-chotomous probit is employed to predict legislation which is characterized as an ordinal scale ranging from prohibition to prescribed bargaining. The presence of voter coalitions rather than intent to remedy monopsonistic production inefficiency explains liberal legislation.     

Everyday forms of employee resistance

Drawing on empirical material collected from over 250 individuals employed in a variety of short-term positions, this article examines how temporary employees pursue grievances against their employing organizations. The findings indicate that temporary employees generally respond to offensive behavior on the part of their employers in nonaggressive ways. Gossip, toleration, and resignation are popular, while occasionally grievances are expressed by theft, sabotage, or noncooperation. Collective responses, formal complaints, and legal action are rare. These restrained responses are traced not to the severity of injustices but to the social environment associated with temporary employment, where workers are loosely tied to their organizations and one another. This research may help explain the decline of organized resistance in the contemporary workplace.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 1990 American Sociological Association meeting in Washington, DC.