An analysis of the satisfaction/dissatisfaction of United States female unionists with their local trade union organizations :

Abstract

Findings from this dissertation yield a profile of the CLUW respondents to be older, more experienced, more educated, and more highly paid than the "average" working woman in 1978. CLUW respondents were also found to be less than satisfied but not dissatisfied with the efforts of their local union hierarchies.

The findings revealed significant differences between the CLUW respondents' evaluation of their respective local unions' overall performance when compared to 30 specific areas of union performance. The respondents were found to be more satisfied with the specific activities of their local unions than they were with the overall performance of their local unions.

Significant differences were found between the CLUW respondents' overall mean satisfaction with their local unions' performance and the following areas: job title, union position and title, union position of respondent at the international union level, and whether the respondents' local union presidents were male or female. Additional findings showing significant differences involved respondents perceptions of whether or not their employers or unions discriminate against females and minorities in promotion and seniority practices, whether or not the proportion of women who hold union officerships are proportionate to female membership in their union, whether or not greater opportunity to participate in the union decision-making process would make their unions more meaningful to them, and whether they think about their national or local union leaders in terms "we" or "they".

The findings revealed no significant differences in the amount of satisfaction or dissatisfaction expressed by respondents when analyzed by demographic characteristics, hours and type of work, type of employer, or position held by the respondent at the local union level. Insignificant differences were also noted in the degree of respondent satisfaction when analyzed by whether or not the respondent was paid for union services, the number of union areas of interest to the respondent, how long the respondent had been a union member, or the number of union locals the respondent had belonged to. Additional factors found to yield insignificant differences in satisfaction included whether or not men are perceived to be recognized as a source of influence in local or national union elections, and whether respondents would rather work for man than a woman.

This study concerned two questionnaires which were given to members of the Coalition of Labor Union Women in order to gather descriptive statistics about the respondents and to reveal the respondent's degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their local unions' performance.

When compared with similar studied by Staines and Quinn, Click et al., and the National Commission on Working Women, many similarities emerged with the findings of this dissertation. The areas showing highest satisfaction were associated with traditional union issues such as improving wages and the handling of grievances. The areas showing least satisfaction by females tend generally to be lower than that expressed by males.