Union Increase

Labor unions have traditionally played an essential role in politics,

organizing voters, molding their members' beliefs, and counteracting

representation and economic inequality. However, little is known about

the impact of labor unions on political awareness. This study will show

that unions raise their members' political knowledge through two

mechanisms: direct information distribution and political dialogue in the

workplace.

Politics are discussed more frequently in labor unions than in non-

union workplaces. Union members can become more politically aware by

having more opportunities to debate politics while also being in an

environment where political discussion is more widespread. Panel data

has been used in the past to show that more frequent political talk has a

favorable impact on political awareness. I believe that not only engaging

in more regular political conversation but also being exposed to a more

frequent discussion, as people are likely to do merely by joining a union,

should influence political understanding. In short, workplace

conversation, through the union, provides a mechanism for obtaining

political information.

This article will show that union members, particularly those with less

formal education who face higher costs in seeking out political

information, are significantly more politically knowledgeable than their

non-union counterparts and better informed about where political parties

and candidates stand on issues, using data from recent national election

surveys and a matching technique. Finally, the article will address the

ability of labor unions to close knowledge gaps and promote a more

politically educated electorate.

WORK CITED

manager's job