INFORMATION, DISINFORMATION, AND UNION SUCCESS IN CERTIFICATION AND DECERTIFICATION ELECTIONS

In certification elections, workers consider the purchase of union ser vices whose quality is, ex ante, unobservable. Voters must rely on ava ilable signals or indices in forming their expectations. Union members are able to reevaluate their initial purchase decision as more accura te information is obtained through experience. Therefore, participants in decertification elections rely less on soul-ces of imperfect infor mation. Using NLRB data over the period 1966 to 1990, we find evidence consistent with information-related distinctions between the certific ation and decertification decisions. Our study provides a useful frame work for understanding the observed differences between these two type s of elections.