Labor Unions a Key to Happiness, New Report Says

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/6512/study_says_labor_unions_improves_quality_of_life/

Thursday October 7 12:00 pm


The pursuit of happiness: A locked-out union worker in Boron, Calif. (Photo by DAVID MCNEW/Getty Images)


By Akito Yoshikane

Even though U.S. public opinion of unions remains low, a new report finds that labor groups nonetheless improve the general well-being for union and non-union citizens in several industrialized countries.

The findings appear in the September issue of Social Indicators Research, a journal which focuses on quality of life measurements. They highlight a link between union density and life satisfaction based on data from fourteen developed nations.

The researchers (three American academics) used individual and aggregate data to measure what effect unions have on the overall happiness of the country and their citizens using a measurement known as “subjective well-being,” a scientific concept that evaluates quality of life or general happiness. They found that organized labor is a boon to the well-being of those who live in industrialized regions in places like Europe, Japan and Australia.

“Our findings strongly suggest that unions increase the life satisfaction of citizens, and that that this effect holds for non-union members as well," wrote Notre Dame University political science professor Benjamin Radcliff, Notre Dame Ph.D candidate in political science Patrick Flavin and Texas A&M University political science associate professor Alex Pacek. "Moreover, we also find that labor organization has the strongest impact on the subjective well-being of citizens with lower incomes."

The findings are a bright spot for labor groups at a time when union membership has declined and American public opinion for labor groups have remained low. The results were positive across all sectors from the society to the individual: countries and individuals who live countries with high union densities had a higher level of life satisfaction; union members reported being generally happier than non-union members by one-tenth; and the less fortunate who were union members had the highest improvement in their quality of life.


FULL story at link.

[NNN0LHI]

1. I can confirm that this is true

Retired at 48 and have never been happier. I spend my life playing with my grandsons and fishing. It doesn't get any better than that.

Don

[Overseas]

2. K&R! //nt

[bvar22]

3. Labor Unions???

That is so OLD Democratic Party.
Get with The Program.
The "New Democrat" Party (no affiliation with the OLD Democratic Party)
is ALL about "Uniquely American Solutions".

Instead of Organized LABOR, we NOW have a Giant Invisible Hand.