Clarifying the Cross-Class Support for Workplace Democracy

Abstract

Workplace democracy has been advocated by capitalists, managers, and workers. This paper seeks to clarify such cross-class support by analyzing Americans' attitudes toward worker participation in decision making and worker control. National survey data from 1991 are employed. Hypotheses surrounding various criteria of class are tested and production-related conceptions are the most powerful predictors of these attitudes. The existence of significant cross-class support is confirmed. A path model is estimated for each class location in order to compare the underlying causal mechanisms. Non-working class support for workplace democracy is found primarily in subordinated class segments. Most importantly, middle class women are supportive as worker empowerment may improve their own lot. Overall, the advocacy by capital and its managers appears to merely reflect a veiled attempt to further their own agenda of capital accumulation

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