Labor Union Mergers : Seeking a Safe Harbor in a Storm

This Brief examines the way that labor unions have been able to use mergers to survive the trend of sharply declining size and bargaining power. Using the metaphor of a ship adrift in a stormy sea, the author addresses the often-asked questions of why unions merge, how unions merge, and what unions can accomplish by merging. The first chapter sets the stage for union mergers by presenting the dilemma of American unions. The second chapter describes the motivation to merge by linking it to union decline. The third chapter deals with the barriers to merger, primarily major differences in union governance and opposition from officers, members and union staff. The fourth chapter examines the specific process by which unions amalgamate and absorb, the dynamics of merger overtures and negotiations, and the themes and variations of merger agreements and merger implementation agreements. The fifth chapter examines merger outcomes and the degree to which mergers are only a partial solution and often cannot resolve the problems that prompted them. The sixth and final chapter summarizes the present and future role that mergers might play in stabilizing and strengthening a labor movement adrift in a sea of turmoil. This Brief will be of interest to scholars of industrial relations, labor economics, and management.