Unlocking Local Union Meeting Attendance for Employees Identified by Gender, Minority Status, and Language of Origin: Psychological Safety and Meeting Effectiveness

Viewing the problem of chronic low local union meeting attendance through a psychological lens, we sampled employees from 22 unions and 64 locals who attended meetings in the last 12 months (N = 130) to replicate a mediation model presented in Mellor (Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal,35, 189-208, 2023), in which psychological safety at meetings is linked to meeting attendance through rated meeting effectiveness. Support for replication was shown, in which employees who experienced more safety at meetings were more likely to rate meetings as effective, and in turn were more likely to indicate meeting attendance in the next 12 months. Because gender, minority status, and language of origin were linked to model variables in the Mellor study, and because discussions with local officers (local reps) about the problem of low attendance indicated interest in these demographics, the demographics were positioned as moderators in the mediation model. Test results for the expanded model indicated support, in which mediation was stronger for minority employees and for employees for which English is a Second Language, specifically links between safety and effectiveness ratings and between safety and attendance through effectiveness ratings. Model relationships are discussed in relation to future sampling, modeling, and intervention.

Automated summary

This study examines the issue of low attendance at union meetings through a psychological lens and replicates a mediation model that demonstrates the link between psychological safety at meetings and meeting attendance through rated meeting effectiveness. The results support the replication, showing that employees who experience more safety at meetings are more likely to rate meetings as effective and consequently indicate higher meeting attendance. Additionally, the study finds that gender, minority status, and English as a Second Language play a moderating role in the mediation model, with stronger mediation effects observed for minority employees and non-native English speakers. The findings have implications for future sampling, modeling, and intervention efforts.