The multidimensionality of union participation

In spite of numerous methodological improvements to the study of union participation, recent studies have continued to operationalize the criterion by combining several different union activities to form a single composite index. Yet there are indications that union participation is a multidimensional construct which means that, for research purposes, specific types of union involvement ought to be studied separately in order to maximize an understanding of this phenomenon. This study tests the multidimensionality of union participation by examining the internal consistency and parallelism of several union activities through factor analysis, reliability analysis and multiple regression analysis. The results strongly support the multidimensional perspective and are discussed in terms of moving towards this new direction in union‐management research.