Worker Needs And Voice In The US And The UK

Workers have responded differently to declining union density in the US and UK. US workers have unfilled demand for unions whereas many UK workers free-ride at unionized workplaces. To explain this difference, the authors create a scalar measure of worker needs for representation and relate desire for unionism to this measure and to the choices that the US and UK labor relations systems offer workers. The measure of needs has similar properties across countries and is the single most important determinant of worker desire for unions and collective representation.