TY - JOUR
T1 - Declining Unionization and the Despair of the Working Class
AU - Chen, Kelly
AU - Islam, Samia
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 by The University of Chicago.
PY - 2023/5
Y1 - 2023/5
N2 - While the effects of labor unions on objective conditions have been extensively studied, little is known about their role in individuals’ perceptions of economic circumstances. We investigate whether union density affects the subjective well-being of area residents by exploiting the staggered adoption of right-towork laws in the United States through a border-county design. We find that unionization promotes happiness for those of low socioeconomic status, including non-college-educated residents and current or former blue-collar job holders, but has no discernible impact on their high-status counterparts. Of affected residents, workers stand to reap the most benefit. We also find that the favorable effect of unionization is transmitted through the assessment of improved financial situation, personal health, and workplace quality. This finding highlights the role of pecuniary and nonpecuniary benefits (for example, on-the-job safety, work-life balance, interpersonal trust, and workers’ autonomy) that unions afford to protect society’s most marginalized groups.
AB - While the effects of labor unions on objective conditions have been extensively studied, little is known about their role in individuals’ perceptions of economic circumstances. We investigate whether union density affects the subjective well-being of area residents by exploiting the staggered adoption of right-towork laws in the United States through a border-county design. We find that unionization promotes happiness for those of low socioeconomic status, including non-college-educated residents and current or former blue-collar job holders, but has no discernible impact on their high-status counterparts. Of affected residents, workers stand to reap the most benefit. We also find that the favorable effect of unionization is transmitted through the assessment of improved financial situation, personal health, and workplace quality. This finding highlights the role of pecuniary and nonpecuniary benefits (for example, on-the-job safety, work-life balance, interpersonal trust, and workers’ autonomy) that unions afford to protect society’s most marginalized groups.
KW - happiness
KW - right-to-work
KW - union density
KW - subjective well-being
KW - rbi-relevant
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85174604618&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/econ_facpubs/89
U2 - 10.1086/724221
DO - 10.1086/724221
M3 - Article
SN - 0022-2186
VL - 66
SP - 279
EP - 307
JO - Journal of Law and Economics
JF - Journal of Law and Economics
IS - 2
ER -