PITTSBURGH -- Labor unions have lost power during an economic recession resulting in numerous contract concessions, but they will win back some of their clout as the recovery continues, a study shows.
The study showed a declining membership and a lack of trust in union leadership because the concessions have undermined labor's bargaining power.
The study was conducted by James Craft, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh's graduate school of business.
'Unions have been declining in terms of membership, loss of leadership and changes in the thrust of the union movement, and the concessions have exacerbated those trends,' Craft said.
He said concessions have been 'one of the most significant labor relations phenomena in the last several years.'
The study was based on interviews with more than 100 union leaders and members involved in concession negotiations during the last few years.
Craft predicted that as the recession ends, unions will gain more clout.
'In the recession, the unions have been suffering substantially in terms of their bargaining power,' he said.
'But unions increase their bargaining positions in terms of their ability to inflict damage. As the recession recedes, the bargaining situation will swing back toward an equilibrium,' Craft said.
