Fit for fight? A cross-sectional study of union apathy in Norway

Abstract

The article synthesizes the literature on union commitment and union renewal through employing the concept of union apathy. This is done with a view to analyse the association between union strategies and union apathy, and the association between apathy and willingness to become a union delegate in Norway. To this end, the authors have run multivariate regressions on the YS Employment Outlook Survey. Results show that union strategy is significantly associated with apathy, and that apathetic union members are less willing to work for their union in the capacity of union delegate. The authors conclude that if unions are to counter apathy in an effort at renewal, and to ensure a sufficient pool of potential union delegates, they must mobilize the talents, ideas and energy of their members. Finally, the authors suggest that unions with an ‘organizing’ soul seem better equipped to counter apathy than unions bent on the ‘servicing’ model.