Decentralization of Bargaining Structure: Four Cases from the U.S. Paper Industry

1998, vol. 53, n° 3 0034-379X In recent years, there has been a trend in many countries toward a decentralization of collective bargaining structures. This study employs two methods to provide a deeper analysis than previous studies of the forces that determine bargaining structure. First, it builds a framework to analyze bargaining structure by integrating previous theoretical and empirical work on the topic. Second, it applies the framework to four bargaining unit level case studies in the United States’ pulp and paper industry. By examining the dissolution of two centralized bargaining structures and union attempts to reestablish central ization through ratification voting pools in two others, the study reveals the relative importance of economic, tactical and organizational factors in the continued decentralization of U.S. paper industry bargaining.