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The Role of Organizational Factors in Mobilizing Professionals: Evidence from Nurse Unions in the United States and Germany
Author(s) -
Krachler Nick,
Auffenberg Jennie,
Wolf Luigi
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
british journal of industrial relations
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.665
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1467-8543
pISSN - 0007-1080
DOI - 10.1111/bjir.12556
Subject(s) - prerogative , restructuring , staffing , framing (construction) , political science , german , public relations , mobilization , public administration , perspective (graphical) , business , politics , law , structural engineering , archaeology , artificial intelligence , computer science , history , engineering
Scholars have intensely debated the conditions under which trade unions can successfully mobilize professionals. We explore an internationally comparative perspective on mobilizing professionals by asking how two nurse unions in the United States and Germany successfully limited management's prerogative over staffing levels. We found that German national institutions had little influence over the bargaining process; instead, factors at the level of organizations and their environment (leadership support, organizational restructuring, coalition‐building with supportive stakeholders and framing) enabled mobilization. Based on a power resources perspective, we conclude that unions can mobilize professionals using militancy, even without much support from national institutions.