Race Differences in Motivations for Joining Unions: The Role of Prosocial Beliefs

Gumber, Clayton; Padavic, Irene

doi:10.1111/ssqu.12772

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Specifically, compared to White respondents, Black respondents perceived the risk of COVID-19 to be greater to others and both Black and Latinx respondents thought it was more important to protect groups of non-close others (e.g., people who live in your city and state). The roots of Black-White differences in prosocial beliefs may, in part, stem from more prosocial and collectivist worldviews because of Black people’s involvement in civil rights struggles and greater engagement in church and working in the public sector [ 24 ]. The differences may also have an underlying logic similar to the White (and Asian) male effect—a robust pattern where some White and Asian men express less concern about a range of threats to society such as technology, climate change and other environmental threats, guns, and crime [ 25 – 27 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Prosocial Beliefs and Prevention Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Orom

Allard

Kiviniemi

et al. 2021

J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

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Controlling the COVID-19 pandemic has required communities to engage in prosocial action, including behaviors that may inconvenience individuals, but protect the collective (e.g., mask wearing, social distancing). The purpose of this study was to understand to what extent COVID-19 prosocial beliefs and behavior differ by race/ethnicity and why this might be the case. A US nationally representative sample of 410 adults completed a survey about COVID-19 beliefs and prevention behaviors between June 12 and 18, 2020. Compared to White respondents, Black respondents perceived the risk of COVID-19 to be greater to the US population; and both Black and Latinx respondents thought it was more important to protect a variety of non-close others (e.g., people in their city or state). Black and Latinx respondents engaged in several prevention behaviors, including social distancing, to a greater extent than White respondents. There were indirect effects of Black vs. White race on engaging in protective behaviors through greater perceived risk to others and beliefs in the importance of protecting distal others. Results indicate that targeted messages promoting prevention, including vaccination with pro-social messages, may resonate with communities of color. They also suggest that lower levels of prosocial beliefs among White people have likely hindered the US response to the epidemic.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Prosocial Beliefs and Prevention Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Orom

Allard

Kiviniemi

et al. 2021

J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…People favoring the Democratic Party expressed more favorable union attitudes, greater likelihood of union approval, and a greater inclination to vote for union representation. Some race/ethnic effects were present, with Blacks evidencing a more positive general attitude to unions and a greater likelihood of voting for union representation (see also Gumber and Padavic 2020). Southerners were less likely to approve of unions.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

What Do Workers and the Public Want? Unions’ Social Value

Fiorito¹,

Padavic

2020

ILR Review

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Using data from a national sample of American workers, the authors develop measures for “prosocial unionism”—the belief that unions contribute to the common good—and use regression analysis to determine its impact on public support for unions and on workers’ likelihood of supporting a union in a representation election in their workplace. Results show that the public’s support for unions is stronger when the public believes that unions act in the interests of all working people instead of just their members. The analyses also show that workers who believe unions have social benefits are significantly more likely to say they would vote “yes” in a union election than those who do not hold this belief. These findings imply that if unions address political and social justice goals that transcend the workplace, their legitimacy and their success in attracting public support and members may be enhanced and help stem the tide of shrinking union density.

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“…More recently, a review by Fiorito et al (2018) and an empirical study using survey data (Fiorito and Padavic, in press) suggested that prosocial motivations may be an underappreciated influence on union voting intent and other forms of union support in the US. Another recent study of African-American workers’ motivations highlighted the greater importance of prosocial motivations in their positive assessment than in whites’ (Gumber and Padavic, 2020).…”

Section: Theory and Hypotheses On Union Support And Voting Intentionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Not so exceptional? Prosocial influences on union support among US workers

Fiorito

Padavic

2021

Economic and Industrial Democracy

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US unions have often been characterized as ‘exceptional’ in their weakness and conservatism compared to their Western European counterparts. American organized labor is associated with a ‘business unionism’ philosophy that assumes American workers are only pragmatic and materialistic, seeing their unions as vehicles for improving the terms and conditions of employment at their workplaces. Such an analysis omits the potential power of a belief that unions work to improve society. Applying an experimental vignette design based on a survey of over 1000 employed persons, this article examines whether ‘workplace instrumentality’ is the only motivation for workers to support unions. The authors consider the likelihood of voting yes in a union representation election to test the efficacy of two less studied predictors – perceiving unions as positively influencing society and perceiving them as facilitating workers’ voice in union policies and practices. Logistic regression shows that the most influential beliefs associated with union support were that unions improve terms and conditions of employment for represented workers (‘union instrumentality’), that unions positively influence society (‘prosocial unionism’), and that unions offer workers substantial influence on union policies and practices (‘worker say’). Researchers and union organizing campaigns should consider devoting greater attention to the social benefits of unionism and to union democracy.

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Race Differences in Motivations for Joining Unions: The Role of Prosocial Beliefs

Cited by 4 publications

References 34 publications

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Prosocial Beliefs and Prevention Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Prosocial Beliefs and Prevention Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic

What Do Workers and the Public Want? Unions’ Social Value

Not so exceptional? Prosocial influences on union support among US workers

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