Econ Papers Daily / 期刊论文
工资不平等如何影响劳工运动？
How Does Wage Inequality Affect the Labor Movement?
摘要
This paper provides evidence on how wage inequality among workers affects the labor movement using three complementary research designs: a vignette experiment with union organizers, a natural policy experiment that increased wage inequality among Wisconsin school teachers, and an information intervention during the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. Across all studies, we find that inequality undermines union strength through multiple channels. First, workers with high individual bargaining power are more likely to withdraw support in unequal environments, preferring individual over collective bargaining. Second, union organizers facing hypothetical choices strategically respond to inequality in ways that may preserve membership but limit redistribution, such as shifting their campaign away from wages and choosing smaller, more homogeneous bargaining units.
中文摘要
本文提供了关于工人之间工资不平等如何影响劳工运动的证据，采用了三种互补的研究设计：一项针对工会组织者的情景实验、一项加剧了威斯康星州学校教师工资不平等的自然政策实验，以及2023年美国编剧协会罢工期间的一项信息干预。在所有研究中，我们发现不平等通过多种渠道削弱工会力量。首先，在 unequal 环境中，拥有较高个人谈判能力的工人更可能撤回支持，偏好个人谈判而非集体谈判。其次，面对假设性选择的工会组织者会以可能保留会员资格但限制再分配的方式对不平等作出策略性回应，例如将竞选重点从工资转移，并选择更小、更同质的谈判单位。