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Author: Gu, Yanmin
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Gu, Yanmin
Labor Unions and Career Mobility of American Workers
Ph.D. Dissertation, Cornell University, 1998
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: UMI - University Microfilms, Bell and Howell Information and Learning
Keyword(s): Current Population Survey (CPS) / CPS-Fertility Supplement; Mobility; Mobility, Interfirm; Mobility, Job; Mobility, Labor Market; Social Influences; Socioeconomic Factors; Unions

This study first estimates the union effects on various mobility rates including overall mobility rate, rates of job shifts with and without interruption, and inter- and intra-firm mobility rates. It then examines union effects on the destinations of corresponding moves. This study employs a longitudinal sample of 548 American young workers drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) from 1979 to 1993. Moreover, it draws its information on occupational prestige score from the 1990 prestige scale file of General Social Survey (GSS) and the union density information from the 1983 to 1993 Current Population Survey (CPS). By linking these two sources of information to that of the NLSY sample, it is able to estimate the union effects on the mobility rates and their socioeconomic consequences. Event history analysis is used to estimate the union effects on the five mobility rates. After that, GEE logistic marginal models are used to investigate the socioeconomic consequences of each mobility regime. The results show that (1) unions in general reduce occupation mobility and increase job stability. Since the early years of employment for American workers are characterized by job insecurity and interruptions, unions play a positive role for American young workers' steady job transitions; (2) unions' impact on the socioeconomic consequences of job mobility varies. They apparently increase organized workers' social standing. On the other hand, unions reduce their members' earnings associated with job mobility; (3) the threat effect of organizing varies depending on whether it is occupation based or industry based. Occupational based union threat effect has a negative impact on the social standing of job mobility but a positive effect on the earnings associated with job shifts. On the other hand, industrial based union threat effect, in contrast, has a positive effect on the social prestige of job shifts while a negative impact on the earnings of job shifts. Nevertheless, both types of threat effect reduce job mobility and increase labor market stability.
Bibliography Citation
Gu, Yanmin. Labor Unions and Career Mobility of American Workers. Ph.D. Dissertation, Cornell University, 1998.