UNION WAGES, RENTS, AND SKILLS IN HEALTH-CARE LABOR-MARKETS

We examine the effect of unions on the earnings of health care workers , with emphasis on the measurement and sources of union wage premiums. Using data constructed from the 1973 though 1994 Current Population S urveys, standard union premium estimates are found to be substantially lower among workers in health cure than in other sectors of the econo my, and to be smaller among higher skill than among lower skill occupa tional groups. Longitudinal analysis of workers switching union status , which controls for worker-specific skills, indicates a small impact of unions on earnings within both high and low skilled health care occ upations. Evidence is found for small, but significant, union threat e ffects in health care labor markets. It has been argued that recent le gal changes in bargaining unit determination should enhance union orga nizing and bargaining power. Although we cannot rule this out, such ef fects are not readily apparent in our data.