Titelaufnahme

Over the past decade, organized labor has played a significant role in advocating for minimum wage increases. In this paper, we investigate the effects of minimum wage increases on union membership among individuals in minimum wage intensive industries. Consistent with a “freeriding” hypothesis, we find that minimum wage increases predict declines in union membership among low-skilled workers in these industries. These workers are the minimum wages most direct beneficiaries. We find no evidence of a change in union membership among high-skilled workers in these industries.