JOURNAL OF HIGHER EDUCATION THEORY AND PRACTICE

College Students’ Attitudes Toward Labor Unions: Implications for Employers

Author(s): Mussie T. Tessema, Daniel Sauers, Joell Bjorke, Kathryn J. Ready

Citation: Mussie T. Tessema, Daniel Sauers, Joell Bjorke, Kathryn J. Ready, (2013) "College Students’ Attitudes Toward Labor Unions: Implications for Employers," Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, Vol. 13, Iss. 1, pp. 112 - 127

Article Type: Research paper

Publisher: North American Business Press

Abstract:

This study replicates and extends the research on pre-employment predictors of attitudes toward labor

unions, which subsequently influence willingness to join a union. The impact of a number of factors

including family socialization, parental union attitude, work beliefs (Marxist and humanistic), and college

major (field of study) is assessed on college students’ attitudes toward labor unions. Selected

demographic and attitudinal data were collected from a sample of 402 students representing several

majors at a midsized Midwestern public university. The findings of the study strongly support the belief

that family socialization and personal work beliefs are the most important predictors of college students’

attitudes toward labor unions. Unlike prior studies, the impact of race on college students’ attitudes

toward labor unions was also assessed. Implications of these findings for employers and future research

directions are also discussed.