| This dissertation focuses on the consequences of declining unionization rates for political behavior of marginalized groups, particularly the poor, in the American states. The effect of union decline is concentrated on particular populations and in states with formerly strong labor movements. Using recent theories of the overwhelming influence of the very wealthy in American democracy, this work pays attention to the consequences of fewer groups advocating for the economic rights of the poor. The dissertation proceeds in three independent, but deeply connected papers. The first looks directly at participation via the vote of one of labor's core constituencies, low-income white people. I find that when it was less certain that low-income whites would be Democratic voters, they begin to drop out of the electorate. Union voters, regardless of race, remain equally likely to vote throughout the period. The second paper extends from individual participation to look at economic inequality. I find that states with more union members, and not simply more liberal states, are more economically equal. This process cannot continue as unions shrink further in size. A third paper questions the abundance of Right to Work policies coming from state governments suggesting that these policies are out of step with the wants of most Americans. Overall, public opinion toward organized labor has not shifted very much over time. Taken together, these papers present a bleak picture about the health of American democracy in the coming era of smaller and weaker unions. |
