Gender and Union Organizing

Abstract

Analyzing survey and interview data gathered in 1990 and 1991, the author assesses the influence of worker gender on the union organizing philosophy and strategies adopted by union organizing directors and field organizers. The results suggest that although most of those sampled did not view worker gender as influential in shaping organizing style, some service sector union organizers and organizers of "pink-collar" workers (who are predominantly female) were using organizing styles different from the conventional style. Further, the approaches of female organizers, particularly those organizing for occupationally targeted divisions of manufacturing unions, appeared to be explicitly gender-conscious.

Gender, Organizational Justice Perceptions, and Union Organizing

“…This recognition has fostered an increasingly animated discussion on the optimal approaches to organizing women. While some still argue that the best practices for organizing women and men are one and the same (see Crain, 1994), there is increasing evidence that gender matters in an organizing campaign. Admittedly, declining somewhat in recent years, (Blau, Simpson, & Anderson, 1996), occupational segregation-wherein women and men are heavily concentrated in different jobs often in different industries-makes the issue of targeting campaigns by gender even more relevant.…”

“…Union personnel express decidedly mixed views on this subject. Women more often maintain that women workers respond better to women organizers, while men more often express the view that matching organizers and rank and file by gender has little independent value (Crain, 1994). Of course, personal bias arguably accounts for these alternative perspectives.…”

“…Recruiting and retaining female organizers is made particularly difficult because of the long hours and extensive travel requirements associated with the job. Women who must juggle work and family roles find it particularly difficult to fulfill these requirements over long periods of time (Crain, 1994;Needleman, 1993). At a conference of experienced organizers convened in 2004, the toll that travel takes on personal lives was a recurrent theme, especially when they have children.…”

“…Here the implication seems to be that because women's work is so often low-status, interactional justice, being treated with dignity and respect, assumes comparatively greater importance for them. Crain (1994) has also implicitly suggested that women and men may differ in the value placed on organizational justice dimensions. Based on her survey of union organizers, she criticized those who "are narrowly focused on 'bread and butter' economic issues, such as wages and benefits, rather than on social issues such as dignity, discrimination, or voice which are likely to appeal to pink-collar and service workers".…”

Southern Organizing in the Post-Civil Rights Era: The Case of S. Lichtenberg

“…While there is much statistical analysis available regarding voting patterns in representation elections, organizing styles, and union tactics (Cooke 1983;Fiorito and Greer 1986;Hurd and McElwain 1988;Reed 1989;Wheeler and McClendon 1991;Crain 1994;Bronfenbrenner 1997), workers' own voices regarding the decision to unionize are less often heard. Although a few attitudinal studies exist (Getman et al 1976;Lawler 1990), industrial relations literature generally reveals little about the formation of workers' perceptions toward unions or the social context in which organizing occurs.…”