1. Sean M. Walsh
DePaul University, Undergraduate
Advanced Project
Professor Gabriele Strohschen

2. Abstract
With a decline in union membership in the
United States, I wanted to know if the American
worker wanted to be a union member, or did
business owners not want participate in
collective bargaining. During the winter of
2016, I conducted a study using surveys to
understand the want and needs of the
American workforce from the perspective of
workers and business owners. The results
would show the majority of both employee and
employer prefer not to engage in collective
bargaining or be a member of a labor union.

3. The Question
Does the American worker want to be in a
labor union?
There are two growing trends in the current American Job
market:
• Increase in Nonstandard jobs like remote workers and consultants
• Demand for a higher minimum wage.
Standard
Job
Nonstandard
Job
What does the
American worker
prefer?

4. Experimental Design
Why do a survey?
The statistical accuracy of a survey is used
and accepted for:
• National Polls in campaigns
• Marketing strategies
• Scientific research.

5. The Survey
I outsourced my survey collection to SurveyMonkey.com because of their
ability to guarantee the collection of data from a minimum of 500 people.
For a minimum of 500 survey
completions, SurveyMonkey
charges $500.00 USD
$$$$$$
C F O
$$$$$$

6. Anticipated Results
• I wanted to achieve a high confidence rating (90th percentile) in my survey
with a margin of error +/- 5% (Custom Insight Surveys).
• According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2014 the United States
had 318.9 million people.
US Population: 318,900,000
Error: +/- 5%
Survey Confidence Goal: 90th
percentile
Control Numbers Survey Returns Needed
252 for 90% Confidence
355 for 95% Confidence
614 for 99% Confidence
I was able to receive 612 survey returns for a survey
confidence of 99% +/- 5.2%

7. The Survey

8. The Survey

9. The Survey

10. The Survey

11. The Survey

12. The Survey

13. The Survey

14. The Survey

15. Who took the Survey?
612 People
Survey was completed by a variety of age groups:
22%
26%
27%
25%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
18-29
30-44
45-59
60+

16. Who took the Survey?
Survey was completed by both genders:
52% 48%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Female
Male

17. Who took the Survey?
Survey was completed by a variety of annual household
incomes:
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
$0-$9,999
$10,000-$24,999
$25,000-$49,999
$50,000-$74,999
$75,000-$99,999
$100,000-$124,999
$125,000-$149,999
$150,000-$174,999
$175,000-$199,999
$200,000 and over
Prefered not to answer

18. Who took the Survey?
Survey was completed by people from all over the United
States
0.00%
2.00%
4.00%
6.00%
8.00%
10.00%
12.00%
14.00%
16.00%
18.00%
20.00%
Category 1
New England
Mid-Atlantic
East North Central
West North Central
South Atlantic
East South Central
West South Central
Mountain
Pacific

19. The Results
Q1.) How would you prefer to negotiate salary
and benefits?
60%
52%
23%
19%17%
29%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Employees Business Owners
Individually
Collective
Bargaining
Unsure

20. The Results
Q2.) What working Environment would you prefer?
36%
18%
21%
46%
44%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Employee Business Owner
Onsite
Remote
Both

21. The Results
Q3.) Are you currently a union member?
11% 12%
77%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Yes
No, but I would like to
be.
No

22. The Results
From the 12% who said they would like to join a union were
asked…
Q4.) Have you attempted to join a union?
2%
98%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Yes
No

23. The Results
The current union members equaling 11% were asked…
Q9.) Are you currently satisfied with your union?
53%
34%
13%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied

24. Conclusions…
• A majority of American Employees prefer to negotiate salary and
benefits individually.
• A majority of American Employers prefer to negotiate salary and
benefits individually.
• A majority of American Employees prefer an equal balance of remote
work and onsite work.
• A majority of American Employers prefer an equal balance of remote
work and onsite work.
• A majority of Americans are NOT in a labor union.
• A majority of Americans have NOT attempted to join a labor union.
• A majority of Americans who are union members are satisfied with
their collective bargaining.

25. Conclusions…
Union membership as of September 2015 only makes up one-tenth of the
American working population (Western).
Expect that number to continue to fall!
11% 12%
77%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Yes
No, but I
would like to
be.
No

26. Conclusions…
Union membership has fallen and will
continue to fall because Union
leadership has gotten lazy and fails to
aggressively recruit. (Lichtenstein).
According to Nelson Lichtenstein’s book, State of the Union…
Union leadership has lobbied too much
for legislation, and hasn’t developed
good rapport with American businesses
(Lichtenstein).

27. Unexpected Results…
…More Americans are working
remotely.
36%
18%
21%
46%
44%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Employee Business Owner
Onsite
Remote
Both

28. Works Cited Ahn, Mark J., Kathryn Sutherland, and Rebecca Bednarek.
"Negotiating, Power and Strategic Competition: A
Teaching Case. "Education & Training 52.4 (2010): 321-
39. ProQuest. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.
 Cheney, George, and Dana L. Cloud. "Doing Democracy, Engaging
the Material: Employee Participation and Labor Activity
in an Age of Market Globalization." Management
Communication Quarterly : McQ 19.4 (2006): 501-
40. ProQuest. Web. 23 Sep. 2015.
 Freedman, Craig, and Alexander Blair. "Seeds of Destruction: The
Decline and Fall of the US Car Industry." The Economic
and Labor Relations Review : ELRR 21.1 (2010): 105-
26.ProQuest. Web. 23 Sep. 2015.
 Gildemeister, Glen A. "The Founding Of The American Federation
Of Labor." Labor History 22.2 (1981): 262. America: History
& Life. Web. 28 Sept. 2015.
 Greene, Stephanie, and Christine N. O'Brien. "The Nlrb V. the
Courts: Showdown Over the Right to Collective Action in
Workplace Disputes." American Business Law Journal.
52.1 (2015): 75-130. Print.
 Griswold, Daniel. "Unions, Protectionism, and
Competitiveness." Cato Journal 30.1(2010):181-
96. ProQuest. Web. 23 Sep. 2015.
 Hogler, Raymond L. The End of American Labor Unions: The Right-to-
Work Movement and the Erosion of Collective
Bargaining (2015). Print.
 Kalleberg, Arne L., Barbara F. Reskin, and Ken Hudson. "Bad jobs
in America: Standard and nonstandard employment
relations and job quality in the United States." American
Sociological Review (2000): 256-278.
 Lichtenstein, Nelson. State of the Union: A Century of American
Labor. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2002. Print. UP, 2002.
Print.
 Morris, Charles J. "Returning Members-Only Collective Bargaining
to the American Workplace." Members-only
Library (2014).
 St Antoine, Theodore,J. "The Future of American Labor and
Employment Law: Hopes, Dreams, and
Realities." Employee Responsibilities and Rights
Journal 21.2 (2009): 133-8. ProQuest. Web. 23 Sep. 2015.
 Staples, D. S. "A Study of Remote Workers and their Differences
from Non-Remote Workers." Journal of End User
Computing 13.2 (2001): 3-14. ProQuest. Web. 15 Oct.
2015.
 Voss, K. "Same As It Ever Was? New Labor, the CIO Organizing
Model, and the Future of American Unions." Politics &
Society. 43.3 (2015): 453-457. Print.
 Western, Bruce, and Jake Rosenfeld. "Workers of the World Divide:
The Decline of Labor and the Future of the Middle
Class. "Foreign Affairs 91.3 (2012): 88-99.
ProQuest. Web. 21 Sep. 2015.

29. So, Dr. G and classmates…
Do you think I should pass?

30. Questions?