Abstract
We investigate whether investor anticipation of future performance differs between union and nonunion firms following corporate layoff announcements. Using event-study methodology and multivariate regression analysis, we find that the stock market reaction to layoff announcements is negatively related to nonunion firms and positively related to union firms.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abowd, John M. “The Effect of Wage Bargains on the Stock Market Value of the Firm.” American Economic Review 79 (September 1989): 774–800.
Becker, Brian E. “Concession Bargaining: The Impact of Shareholders Equity.” Industrial and Labor Relations Review 40 (January 1987): 268–79.
— and Craig A. Olson. “Unionization and Shareholder Interests.” Industrial and Labor Relations Review 42 (January 1989): 246–61.
Belman, Dale. “Unions, the Quality of Labor Relations, and Firm Performance.” In Lawrence Mishel and Paula B. Voos, eds. Labor and Economic Competitiveness. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe, 1992, pp. 41–108.
Brown, Stephen J. and Jerold B. Warner. “Using Daily Stock Returns: The Case of Event Studies.” Journal of Financial Economics 14 (March 1985): 3–31.
Davidson, Wallace N., Dan E. Worrell, and Louis T. W. Cheng. “The Effectiveness of OSHA Penalties: A Stock-Market-Based Test.” Industrial Relations 33 (July 1994): 283–96.
Florkowski, Gary W. and Kuldeep Shastri. “Stock-Price Response in Unionized Settings.” Journal of Labor Research 13 (Fall 1992): 407–20.
Groothuis, Peter A. “Turnover: The Implication of Establishment Size and Unionization.” Quarterly Journal of Business and Economics 33 (Spring 1994): 41–53.
Hirsch, Barry T. “Union Coverage and Profitability among U.S. Firms.” Review of Economics and Statistics 73 (February 1991): 69–77.
— and Robert A. Connolly. “Do Unions Capture Monopoly Profits?” Industrial and Labor Relations Review 41 (October 1987): 118–36.
Lee, Peggy M. “A Comparative Analysis of Layoff Announcements and Stock Price Reactions in the United States and Japan.” Strategic Management Journal 18 (December 1997): 879–94.
McWilliams, Abagail and Donald Siegel. “Event Studies in Management Research: Theoretical and Empirical Issues.” Academy of Management Journal 40 (June 1997): 626–57.
Pearce, Thomas G., James E. Groff, and John R. Wingender. “Union Decertification’s Impact on Shareholder Wealth.” Industrial Relations 34 (January 1995): 58–72.
Rose, Joseph B. and Gary N. Chaison. “Linking Union Density and Union Effectiveness.” Industrial Relations 35 (January 1996): 78–105.
Ruback, Richard and Martin B. Zimmerman. “Unionization and Profitability: Evidence from the Capital Market.” Journal of Political Economy 92 (December 1994): 1134–57.
Ursel, Nancy and Marjorie Armstrong-Stassen. “The Impact of Layoff Announcements on Shareholders.” Relations Industrielles 50 (Summer 1995): 636–49.
Voos, Paula B. and Lawrence R. Mishel. “The Union Impact on Profits: Evidence from Industry Price-Cost Margin Data.” Journal of Labor Economics 4 (January 1986): 105–33.
Worrell, Dan E., Wallace N. Davidson, and Varinder M. Sharma, “Layoff Announcements and Stockholder Wealth.” Academy of Management Journal 34 (September 1991): 662–78.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pouder, R.W., Hindman, H.D. & Cantrell, R.S. How unions affect shareholder wealth in firms announcing layoffs. J Labor Res 25, 495–502 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12122-004-1027-4
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12122-004-1027-4