The factor structure of Union Commitment: An application of confirmatory factor analysis

Abstract

M. E. Gordon et al. (see record 1980-33572-001 ) developed a Union Commitment scale and identified four underlying factors. L. Friedman and R. J. Harvey (see record 1986-28952-001 ), in a reanalysis of the Gordon et al. data, concluded that union commitment was best represented by two factors. Although several investigations have replicated the Gordon et al. factor structure, none of these have used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). In the present study we used CFA to test the explanatory power of the two a priori factor structures. A sample of 465 blue-collar workers working for a large utility company in the midwestern United States participated in this investigation. The results suggest that, first, a modified version of Gordon et al.'s four-factor solution provides a better representation of the factor structure of union commitment. Second, the use of either the four-factor solution or commitment as a unidimensional construct may be justified, depending on the research focus. Finally, we found that unit weighting of the union commitment items was the most appropriate strategy for generating composites. The implication of these results and suggestions for future research are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)