Abstract

ZEPEDA, Roberto. Determining Factors of the Decline of Unions in the United States. Norteamérica [online]. 2016, vol.11, n.2, pp.139-164. ISSN 2448-7228.  https://doi.org/10.20999/nam.2016.b006.

This article examines the decline of unions in the United States from 1980 to 2015, using the unionization rate as the main indicator to measure how much of the employed work force is unionized. The analytical framework used classifies the most important factors of this decline into the cyclical, the structural, and the political-institutional. In addition, the author contrasts the U.S. trends in union density with those of other developed countries, noting an important divergence. The decline in the U.S. was determined more by the institutions that regulate the labor system than by economic globalization.

Keywords : Union decline; United States; workers; labor force.