THE LEGALIZATION OF THE WORKPLACE

This study uses longitudinal data on nearly 300 American employers ove r the period 1955-85 to analyze the adoption of disciplinary hearings and grievance procedures for nonunion salaried and hourly employees. H ypotheses are developed from an institutional perspective that focuses , first, on uncertainty arising from government mandates concerning eq ual employment opportunity and affirmative action and, second, on the role of the human relations professions in constructing employment-rel ations law and prescribing models of compliance. Event-history techniq ues are used to test these hypotheses against competing arguments conc erning the internal structure and labor market position of employing o rganizations. Results on all outcomes strongly support the institution alist model.