A Longitudinal Test of a Model of the Antecedents and Consequences of Union Loyalty

In the present study we aimed to construct a process model of union loyalty. Various personal, work, and union-related variables were hypothesized to predict union loyalty, which in turn would cause greater participation in essential union activities. Furthermore, the study assessed whether different models of union loyalty existed for 169 Black and 139 White members of a multiracial South African union. For both samples, cross-lagged regression analyses showed that union loyalty caused greater formal participation in union activities. Separate path analyses demonstrated that perceptions of union instrumentality, extrinsic job dissatisfaction, and early socialization experiences predicted union loyalty in both samples. However, the nature and strength of several relationships between the antecedent variables and union loyalty were moderated by race. In a further refinement of the model, perceived union instrumentality was found to moderate the relationship between union loyalty and union participation, and the relationships between the predictor variables and union loyalty.