Even though U.S. public opinion of unions remains low, a new report finds that labor groups nonetheless improve the general well-being for union and non-union citizens in several industrialized countries.
The findings appear in the September issue of Social Indicators Research, a journal which focuses on quality of life measurements. They highlight a link between union density and life satisfaction based on data from fourteen developed nations...
The study outlines several variables that contribute to an improved well-being, including many that have been touted by labor advocates. For one, unions provide a measure of job security that provides safeguards for sudden layoffs. Secondly, the power of collective bargaining allows for a sense of empowerment through mechanisms like grievance procedures. Unions also reduce a sense of alienation through a support network. Nonunion members and society at large also benefit through a “contagion effect” through inter-personal communication.
“As such, people are likely to be more satisfied themselves the more they interact with other satisfied people. Those in countries with a higher proportion of more-satisfied-than-otherwise union members are likely to be more satisfied, on average, than those in countries with fewer proportional union members,” the report said.
http://socialistworker.org/blog/critical-reading/2010/10/07/happiness-warm-union