TRADE-UNION MEMBERSHIP DENSITY - THE CASE OF THE AUT

This paper analyses trade union membership with respect to the Associa tion of University Teachers representing academic and related staff in the 'old' UK higher education sector, It therefore negates the diffic ulties encountered with prior cross-sectional research concerning unio nized and non-unionized workplaces and their homogeneity. Two models a re estimated at the local association, or university, level where the hypothesized variables encompass age and career related determinants, staff gender divisions and a series of university-specific characteris tics together with locational and political indicators. We find signif icant influences upon union density include career grade, mean staff a ge, male staff numbers together with the institution's classification.