Grievance activity and union membership: A study of government employees

Abstract

Examined biographical differences among 148 US government employees in an agency having both union and nonunion personnel. After statistically controlling for competing effects, it was found that the total sample of grievants were not represented by a union, were absent more often due to illness, and were minority employees more often than nongrievants. No differences between these groups were found across the variables of tenure, education, income, or sex, contrary to previous suggestions in the literature. White-collar grievants were older and had achieved higher rank within their respective job levels than the nongrievants in this group. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)