Marion G. Crain

Gender and Union Organizing

Analyzing survey and interview data gathered in 1990 and 1991, the author assesses the influence of worker gender on the union organizing philosophy and strategies adopted by union organizing directors and field organizers. The results suggest that although most of those sampled did not view worker gender as influential in shaping organizing style, some service sector union organizers and organizers of “pink-collar” workers (who are predominantly female) were using organizing styles different from the conventional style. Further, the approaches of female organizers, particularly those organizing for occupationally targeted divisions of manufacturing unions, appeared to be explicitly gender-conscious.