Standing over the grave of unions…
08 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in labour economics, unions Tags: strikes, union power, union wage premium
Working days lost due to labour disputes since the 1890s ow.ly/PG79m http://t.co/ZGMR5E7Yb8—
(@ONS) July 16, 2015
Collective-bargaining agreement coverage and union density rates, major economies, latest available data
16 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
in labour economics, unions Tags: collective bargaining, union membership, union power, union wage premium
In the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, if you want to be covered by a union collective-bargaining agreement, join a union. Does not seem to matter if you are a union member in France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands and to a lesser extent Italy because you is covered by collective bargaining agreements in most jobs.
Source: OECD estimates and J. Visser, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (2011), ICTWSS Database on Institutions, Coordination, Trade Unions, Wage Setting and Social Pacts (version 3.0) in OECD (2013) Economic Policy Reforms 2013: Going for Growth.
In the Nordic countries, it runs the other way with most workers covered by collective bargaining agreement but also are union members.
Union density rates in Scandinavia since 1960
15 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, labour economics, unions Tags: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, union membership, union power, union wage premium
Union membership has been very high all the time in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.
Source: OECD Stat Extract.
Union density rates in Germany, France and Italy
14 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, Euro crisis, labour economics, unions, urban economics Tags: Eurosclerosis, France, German unification, Germany, Italy, union membership, union power, union wage premium
There are large differences in unionisation rates between the three countries. France has always had low levels of unionisation which halved since the 1970s. Italy had a sharp boost in union membership in the number of unions in the 1960s and 70s. This may have been associated with increased urbanisation. Union membership rate stayed pretty high in Italy ever since with a small taper downwards. Germany had stable unionisation rates prior to German unification after which the numbers about halved up in a slow taper.
Source: OECD Stat Extract.
Union density rates in USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand since 1960
13 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
in labour economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, unions Tags: Australia, British economy, union membership, union power, union wage premium
Unions have been in a long-term decline in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the USA for as far back as survey and administrative data can be collected. There is a bit of a hump in union membership in the mid-1970s in New Zealand, Australia and the UK but that was about it.
Source: Source: OECD and J.Visser, ICTWSS database (Institutional Characteristics of Trade Unions, Wage Setting, State Intervention and Social Pacts, 1960-2010), version 3.0 (http://www.uva-aias.net/).
Union and non-union manufacturing job losses compare
22 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, industrial organisation, labour economics, survivor principle, unions Tags: creative destruction, union power, union wage premium
Those reading Nick Kristof's pro-union piece should also consider their impact on job growth economy.com/dismal/analysi… http://t.co/xJwbJQmQth—
Modeled Behavior (@ModeledBehavior) February 19, 2015
New Zealand teachers’ unions are above average in their effectiveness
12 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of education, income redistribution, labour economics, Public Choice, rentseeking, unions Tags: public sector unions, teachers union, union power, union wage premium
Milton Friedman on the essence of the Age of the Worker
13 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, economic growth, economic history, health and safety, income redistribution, industrial organisation, labour economics, labour supply, macroeconomics, Milton Friedman, occupational choice, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, Public Choice, rentseeking, unions Tags: competition and monopoly, The Great Enrichment, union power, union wage premium
Union membership varies by a lot more than do wages between countries
13 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in labour economics, politics - Australia, politics - USA, unions Tags: trade union density, union power, union wage premium
Union membership
Finland 69%
Sweden 68
Canada 27
UK 26
Japan 19
Australia 19
Germany 18
US 11
Korea 10
Turkey 5 http://t.co/03cRHnbLlH—
Conrad Hackett (@conradhackett) March 28, 2015
Why no (top 1% driven) middle class wage stagnation in (non-unionised) technologically progressive industries?
11 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
.@CEAChair: Higher productivity needed for increases in income on.wsj.com/1E4jGDQ @MarkMuro1 Agreed. Proof here http://t.co/oZ76aeQdiq—
Jonathan T. Rothwell (@jtrothwell) March 11, 2015
Wages & productivity are growing together in high R&D-STEM industries brook.gs/1D5Pqxc @CEAChair @MarkMuro1 http://t.co/fe5MDomJqE—
Jonathan T. Rothwell (@jtrothwell) March 11, 2015
Unions have been on the way out for a long time
03 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, labour economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, unions Tags: the withering away of the proletariat, union power, union wage premium
The economics of low wages: When what comes down doesn’t go up econ.st/1zlP1G0 http://t.co/AujgeDIAUX—
The Economist (@EconEconomics) May 02, 2015
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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