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Union Membership and Political Inclusion

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  • Roland Zullo

Abstract

Using county-level data, the author evaluates how labor affected the general population's political behavior during the 2000 U.S. presidential election. Voter turnout increased with unionization, but at declining rates with higher levels of unionization. The unionization/voter turnout link was stronger in counties with lower median incomes, higher income inequality, and lower levels of education, suggesting that unions partially closed the political participation gap between low- and high-SES (socioeconomic status) populations. State right-to-work laws, and the absence of collective bargaining rights for public employees, reduced labor's ability to increase voter turnout. The union effect on candidate preference had a positive, curvilinear association with union membership, but this effect was stronger in high-SES regions than in low-SES regions. Overall, these results imply a paradox for organized labor: unions can effectively increase working-class voter turnout, but they have difficulty persuading the working class to vote for pro-labor political candidates.

Suggested Citation

  • Roland Zullo, 2008. "Union Membership and Political Inclusion," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 62(1), pages 22-38, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ilrrev:v:62:y:2008:i:1:p:22-38
    DOI: 10.1177/001979390806200102
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Benjamin Radcliff, 2001. "Organized Labor and Electoral Participation in American National Elections," Journal of Labor Research, Transaction Publishers, vol. 22(2), pages 405-414, April.
    2. Elden, J. Maxwell, 1981. "Political Efficacy at Work: The Connection between More Autonomous Forms of Workplace Organization and a More Participatory Politics," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 75(1), pages 43-58, March.
    3. Rapoport, Ronald B. & Stone, Walter J. & Abramowitz, Alan I., 1991. "Do Endorsements Matter? Group Influence in the 1984 Democratic Caucuses," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 85(1), pages 193-203, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Aaron J. Sojourner, 2013. "Do Unions Promote Members' Electoral Office Holding? Evidence from Correlates of State Legislatures' Occupational Shares," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 66(2), pages 467-486, April.
    2. Michael Becher & Stegmueller, Daniel & Käppner, Konstantin, 2016. "Local Union Organization and Lawmaking in the U.S. Congress," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 304, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    3. J. Ryan Lamare, 2016. "Labor Unions and Political Mobilization: Diminishing Returns of Repetitious Contact," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(2), pages 346-374, April.

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