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Perceived Job Difficulty Influences Unionization Support for Workers in Low-Wage Jobs

By: Elizabeth R. Johnson and Ashley V. Whillans
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:96
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Abstract

Unionization is a critical way that workers in low-wage jobs have pushed large companies to improve labor conditions. In this research, we highlight a novel factor that prevents people from supporting unionization for workers in low-wage jobs: the perceived difficulty of these jobs. Across four studies (N=1,239), we document an association between perceptions of job difficulty and support for the collective organizing of workers across a range of low-wage jobs. We show that manipulating perceptions of the difficulty of one’s job can improve support for worker unionization efforts. These findings suggest that one mechanism to increase support for worker unionization efforts is through the language used to describe low-wage jobs.

Keywords

Low-Wage Jobs; Inequality; Support For Unionization; Collective Organizing; Labor Unions; Wages; Working Conditions

Citation

Johnson, Elizabeth R., and Ashley V. Whillans. "Perceived Job Difficulty Influences Unionization Support for Workers in Low-Wage Jobs." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 23-018, August 2022.

About The Author

Ashley V. Whillans

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
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