The Geography of US Union Elections 1: The Crisis of US Unions and a Critical Review of the Literature

Abstract

Conventional literature on union growth and decline has failed to deal adequately with the local context of union elections, and has tended to rationalize the complexity of decentralized labor relations. This paper begins with a statement on the relevance of the topic for location theory, and the theory of regional growth and decline. Recent patterns in US unionization are considered before a review of early literature on unionization in relation to local labor markets structure. The institutional context of unionization is noted, with concentration on the role of the National Labor Relations Board, and state-level right-to-work legislation. The process of union representation elections is described with reference to the related literature. Suggestions are made for an empirical strategy which would deal more adequately with the local representation process.