2021/04/21 by Alison L. Booth, Richard B. Freeman, Xin Meng +1 · 1 voice
Health Professions · Social Sciences · #China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance #Employment and Welfare Studies #Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy
paper · doi:10.1177/00197939211004440
openalex publication_date 2021/04/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/15
Using a panel survey, the authors investigate how the welfare of rural-urban migrant workers in China is affected by trade union presence at the workplace. Controlling for individual fixed effects, they find the following. Relative to workers from workplaces without union presence or with inactive unions, both union-covered non-members and union members in workplaces with active unions earn higher monthly income, are more likely to have a written contract, be covered by social insurances, receive fringe benefits, express work-related grievances through official channels, feel more satisfied with their lives, and are less likely to have mental health problems.