The Difficulty of Implementing Union Mergers: Investigating the Role of Members’ Merger Orientation

Abstract

The difficulty of implementing union mergers is reflected in the large proportion of unsuccessful planned mergers. In many cases, this is due to members opposing the merger proposal. Despite this problem, few studies have investigated the significance of members’ orientations in merger implementation. The ability to predict if members will support a merger proposition would be valuable to union leaders planning mergers. Using questionnaire data from members of four Swedish unions involved in an unsuccessful merger attempt, this study investigates predictors of members’ merger orientation - the members’ attitude towards union mergers in general, their expectations about specific merger outcomes, and their intention to vote in favour of a specific merger proposal. The analysis shows that union commitment, union tenure and being informed about a merger proposal significantly predicted merger orientation. Furthermore, the analysis revealed signs of officer opposition. This suggests that a committed and well-informed membership is a crucial precondition to successful merger implementation, and that a merger proposal stands little chance without the support of union leaders.