The Characteristics and Attitudes of the New Union Member

• In Event: Political Identity, Partisanship, and Preferences

Abstract

Relying on survey data from the American National Election Studies and the Cooperative Election Study (previously the Cooperative Congressional Election Study), this research documents changes and its consequences in the types of individuals who are members of American unions. Until recently union members in the United States were predominantly male, characterized by low levels of educational attainment, and employed in manufacturing industries that required manual labor. Today, numerous union members hold levels of educational attainment above that of the rest of the U.S. population (many with graduate degrees), are more likely to be female, and work at jobs categorized as professional or management positions.
These changes have political consequences. In the current period, being a member of a union is less likely to lead to identifying as a Democrat, support for government guarantees for a job and minimum standard of living, backing government provided health care, and holding other positions aimed at reducing income inequality. These changes are most evident among union members with lower levels of educational attainment. Being better educated and female exerts a greater impact on political preferences and identities than being a member of a union. There are substantial differences in issue preferences and concerns by levels of education among union members.

While most union members continue to identify with the Democratic Party and support public policies that would strengthen the social safety net, this support stems more from their gender and educational attainment than their union membership. While some scholars maintain that unions can prevent leftist parties from being vulnerable to populist challenges, challenges that target working class (less educated) citizens, in the American context this does not appear to have been the case (Ariel Malka, et. al., Perspectives on Politics, September 2022).

Author

• Jeffrey W. Koch, SUNY-Geneseo