Suchergebnisse

What role do or should US unions play in democratic or worker-owned enterprises? The three major types of US industrial democrats-those favoring collective bargaining, those favoring nonunion, management-run participation, and those favoring setting up alternative organizations-disagree and/or are hostile to each other on this question. This study presents two cases: (1) a set of long-unionized worker-owned companies; and (2) a community-owned economic development organization with unionized workers and union representatives on its board of directors. Qualitative observational and interview data are combined with statistical analysis of attitudinal data. The findings indicate that union presence is problematic for itself and the enterprise. Moreover, the union tends to play a traditional conservative role, emphasizing protection of workers from management abuses, which stem from the imperfect nature of worker/community ownership arrangements and the imperfect nature of democratic management.

This report compares sex differences in motivation to pledge money to become an employee-owner among 943 men and women workers faced with an area-wide shutdown of supermarkets. Women and men were equally likely to desire employee-ownership, but some differences exist in factors related to their decision. Among women, support for the union contract and entrepreneurial ideals was related to desire for employee-ownership, and having insufficient income was the most important barrier. Among men, entrepreneurial ideals, risk taking and collective ideals were important predictors of pledging while protecting seniority benefits was the most important detractor.