A Meta-Analysis of the Union-Job Satisfaction Relationship
Résumé
The purpose of this study is to provide a systematic and quantitative review
of the existing empirical evidence on the effects of unionization on overall job
satisfaction. We conducted a meta-regression analysis (MRA) with results from
a pool of 235 estimates from 59 studies published between 1978 and 2015.
The accumulated evidence indicates that unionization is negatively related to
job satisfaction but is far from being conclusive. When primary studies control
for endogeneity of union membership, the results of the MRA indicate that
the difference in job satisfaction between unionized and non-unionized workers
disappears. These results suggest that reverse causation (i.e. dissatisfied workers
are more likely to join a union) and time-varying endogenous effects play a key
role in explaining the relationship between unionization and job satisfaction.