Compensation Appraisals and Labor Union Membership

Given the beneficial effects of labor unions on "bread and butter issues," union members should appraise their economic circumstances more favorably than nonunion members do. Yet, research on the anomaly of the dissatisfied union worker challenges this expectation. Using the General Social Survey's Quality of Work Life module, this article examines whether union members appraise their economic circumstances less favorably than nonunion members. Results suggest that union membership is associated with more favorable appraisal of benefits but not wages. These findings may help to provide at least a partial explanation for the anomaly of the dissatisfied union worker. Because income constitutes a vital component of job satisfaction, this study contributes more broadly to our understanding of employee well-being. It also connects the study of occupational health to that on institutions, contributes to the growing literature on the political economy of health, and highlights latent effects of union security agreements.