Trade unions have been thrust into the spotlight during the summer after strike action brought to mind the widespread industrial action that so disrupted economies during the 1970s. A traditional narrative has been that union participation has been lower among younger people, due in part to a perception that unions are a thing of the past.

Research from the University of Windsor explored whether this narrative was really true. The study is set against a backdrop of a seemingly broader generational clash narrative that portrays different generations as having markedly different desires and ambitions. In a union context, this is portrayed in a sense of younger people being more self-absorbed and individualistic, and therefore less inclined to support something portrayed as being for the communal good.

Generational differences

The researchers were conscious of the need to look beyond simple differences due to different life stages and so used 40 years of data from the annual Monitoring the Future surveys to capture people at the same life stage so they could examine changes in attitude among young people towards unions over time.

The results show that the percentage of young people with an opinion about unions fell from 86% for those born in 1958 to just 67% for those born in 1997. In other words, we have seen a doubling in people who are generally agnostic towards unions in the last 40 years.

Interestingly, however, opinions seemed fairly consistent among those who actually had an opinion. It’s just that a growing number appeared to be sitting on the fence and having no real opinion either way. It also appears as though things that do change opinions about unions have changed over time.

For instance, it was more likely that non-white and female respondents would have less favorable views of unions than their predecessors, which the researchers believe highlights the poor communication of unions as sectors with high proportion of workers from such groups are often well served by unions.

A missed opportunity

So while the findings suggest that people today aren’t necessarily more anti-union than previous generations, it is nonetheless clear that unions are either not seen as relevant by younger people or inadequately communicating what they can offer to younger workers.

The authors believe that if unions can target people before they enter employment via both communication and clear strategies it can help to shift opinions effectively among younger workers.

The importance of this is underlined by research from Cornell University, which shows that temp workers can see a 21% rise in their average income when they’re employed by companies with a unionized workforce.

“What is surprising is that wage premium only holds for unions that go head-to-head, battling with employers,” the researchers say. “Those unions that ‘cooperate’ or ‘partner’ with employers do not achieve wage gains for temps.”

The study found that when unions are able to work constructively with employers it not only benefits union members but also the economy at large.