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Recruitment, Retention and Exit from Union Membership. An Analysis of Member Flows in Swiss Union Locals
Author(s) -
Oesch Daniel
Publication year - 2012
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/j.1467-8543.2011.00861.x
Subject(s) - context (archaeology) , variance (accounting) , demographic economics , single market , union density , labour economics , economics , international economics , geography , european union , accounting , archaeology , collective bargaining
This article enquires into the causes of union growth and decline by analysing flows in and out of membership at the level of 70 Swiss union locals over 2006–2008. Gross flows in union membership are much larger than the resulting net changes: annual membership turnover of 10 per cent is a surprisingly constant feature across unions. Net changes in membership are primarily determined by inflows: successful and languishing union locals differ in their entry rates, whereas exit rates are similar. Variance in union locals' entry rates is not usefully explained by the labour market context, but by differences in union strategy.