Doctoral Dissertation Research: Union Mergers and the Labor Movement

SES-0928236朱迪思·斯捷潘·诺里斯加州大学欧文分校的贾斯敏·克里西劳工运动如何扭转工会密度的下降？ 一些劳工维权人士认为，合并可能有助于减缓，如果不是扭转，下降。他们认为，合并可以精简工会，使他们能够更有效地组织和谈判。合并的批评者不同意;如果实施不当，合并可能会减少成员和当地人的权利，并最终削弱工会。本论文使用档案资料来探讨企业合并的决定因素与结果。 三种类型的数据为该项目提供信息：1）1886-2000年每个工会的工会特征数据; 2）每次合并之前和之后每个工会的每次合并协议和宪法条款; 3）随着时间的推移，两个工会合并的案例研究分析。 该项目有几个理论目标。 首先，它通过将通常适用于企业的理论扩展到民主组织，将劳动研究和组织理论中的文献联系起来。其次，它评估了合并与工会的衰落/增长之间的关系。 最后，它评估了合并如何影响妇女和少数群体的领导作用。 该项目的更广泛影响是从规模、基层参与和领导人多样性等方面分析合并的后果。 通过公开这项研究，劳工活动家将有经验，历史证据，以告知他们的决定。 此外，该数据集的深度，广度和纵向质量将为学者提供新的数据集，从而有助于未来的研究。

SES-0928236Judith Stepan-NorrisJasmine KerrisseyUniversity of California, IrvineHow can the labor movement reverse the decline in union density? Some labor activists suggest that mergers may help to slow, if not reverse, the decline. Mergers, they argue, streamline unions, enabling them to organize and bargain more effectively. Merger critics disagree; if implemented incorrectly, mergers could decrease the rights of members and locals and ultimately weaken unions. This dissertation uses archival data to examine the determinants and outcomes of mergers. Three types of data inform this project: 1) data on union characteristics for each union from 1886-2000; 2) each merger agreement and constitutional clauses for each union before and after each merger; and 3) case study analysis of two unions as they merge over time. The project has several theoretical objectives. First, it links literature in labor studies and organization theory by extending theory that is typically applied to firms to democratic organizations. Second, it evaluates the relationship between mergers and the decline/growth of unions. Finally, it assesses how mergers have impacted the leadership roles of women and minorities. The broader impacts of this project are to provide an analysis of the consequences of mergers, in terms of the size, rank and file participation, and diversity among leaders. By making this research publicly available, labor activists will have empirical, historical evidence on which to inform their decisions. Moreover, the depth, breadth, and longitudinal quality of this dataset will provide scholars with a new dataset, thus contributing to future studies.