Divided We Fall: Unions and Their Members Available to Purchase

Assesses the future for unions in terms of sectional, attitudinal and behavioural divisions among their membership. Data are drawn from a survey of 200 employees of five organizations carried out in the north east of England in 1992‐93. Develops a typology of different groups among the rank‐and‐file “passive” membership in terms of differing attitudes, and discusses occupational and gender divisions as examples of blocks to union unity. Concludes that unions must seek to identify and cater for the needs of a plurality of groups, but that members can be unified where a common cause is identified.