Labor Law,Economics, and Industrial Democracy: A Reconciliation. |
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| Authors: | RICHARD N. BLOCK |
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| Affiliation: | *School of Labor and Industrial Relations, Michigan State University. The author wishes to thank the journal editor for valuable comments on earlier drafts of this paper. |
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| Abstract: | This article analyzes the competing economic and industrial democracy/ voice views of unionism. It points out that the economic arguments vis-àvis unionism and the costs of union rent seeking depend on competitive markets. If markets vary in their competitive characteristics, however, and employers also have an incentive to rent-seek, then decentralized, NLRA-type unionism with minimal government interference in establishing bargaining outcomes may serve to restore competitive wages. The article concludes by evaluating some proposals to amend the NLRA in the context of this “symmetry of motives” framework. |
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