Union Activism,Workers’ Satisfaction and Organizational Change

Abstract. This paper investigates the reaction of active union members towards workplace organizational changes. We use micro‐data from a large firm and estimate an empirical model which deals explicitly with the potential endogeneity of the union activist status. The data indicate that workers who become union activists are more likely to complain than members. Moreover, after proper allowance is made for the endogeneity of union activism, we find this effect to be reinforced. This result suggests that activists are not inherently against organizational changes, as compared to non‐activists, though they report higher dissatisfaction in anticipation of the greater loss in union rents that is likely to be associated with the change.     

Wage Discrimination and Female Occupational Intensity

The analysis presented in this paper attempts to shed some light, in the context of the Italian labour market, on wage based gender discrimination effects and on the potential impact of gender occupational distribution on wage determination. The results obtained provide some useful insights for Equal Pay legislation and on the efficacy of Comparable Worth (CW) type policies. The wage equation estimates are broadly in line with results obtained elsewhere in the literature. A discrimination effect of nearly 17|X% results when an exclusively male occupational structure is considered. The gender wage gap showed to decrease as female intensity increases. In terms of the framework used, two competing interpretations have been proposed and their implications discussed. The implication of different policy measures which, in recent years, generated much discussion among scholars and in political arenas have been considered, namely: CW and Affirmative Action (AA) policies. Future research should consider a structural model of discrimination so as to discriminate between competing models and policy options.     

Union Density and Relative Wages: What is the Relationship?

ABSTRACT: This paper examines the impact of union density on relative wages under decentralised bargaining settings. Whilst, traditionally, empirical studies have focused on the impact of union status on wages (either at the individual or at the plant level), here it is argued that local trade union density can have an independent (positive) effect on wages. This occurs through the threat of collective action and the ability of the union to impose costs onto employers. First, a Nash bargaining model is presented under efficient-bargaining settings, and a wage-membership equation is derived. Wages are shown to be an increasing and convex function of union membership. Second, an empirical specification of the wage-membership equation, suitable for estimation, is obtained and fitted to establishment-level data for the Italian metal-mechanical engineering industry. A positive monotonic relationship between wages and union density is detected. Furthermore, wages are shown to be increasing with union density even where no formal local bargaining agreement is in force, thus suggesting that “union-threat” effects might be relevant.     

What if your boss is a woman? Evidence on gender discrimination at the workplace

Review of Economics of the Household - In this paper, we exploit rich cross-country survey data covering 15 European countries over the period 2000–2015 to investigate the relationship...     

Job Tenure,Labour Mobility and Wage Profiles

Abstract. The features and the length of the attachment of workers to firms represent a central aspect of the labour relationship. The length of service is an important determinant of wages and of non-pecuniary benefits; it affects internal mobility in the firm, and insulates workers with long job tenure from unemployment. In this paper it is argued that the traditional “spot” labour market Characterization is difficult to reconcile with the existence of long term employment relationships. A number of alternative theories which predict the existence of an employer-worker attachment proposed, and their implications discussed. The relevance of long term employment relationships is then tested using micro-data for the Italian manufacturing industry. An appropriate methodology for the analysis of the duration of employment is developed. and separate “job tenure” equations for white and blue collar workers are estimated. A higher educational attainment - ceteris paribus- appears to increase the probability of a job separation; conversely, a higher working experience, previous to the current job, tends to reduce it. The effect of firm size is negative, as larger organizations seem to favour longer employment spells. Outside opportunities show a strong positive effect on the probability of separation. Finally, conditional on the current wage, the probability of leaving the job increases with the length of time worked. However, when the unconditional outcome is considered, separation decline with tenure; in this case. it is argued, the wage effect more than outweighs the conditional effect. This result is consistent with the predictions of both “specific” human capital and job matching theories.