Translating European labor relations practices to the United States through global framework agreements? German and swedish multinationals compared
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Standard
Translating European labor relations practices to the United States through global framework agreements? German and swedish multinationals compared. / Helfen, Markus O.; Schüßler, Elke; Stevis, Dimitris.
In: Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 69, No. 3, 05.2016, p. 631-655.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Harvard
APA
Vancouver
Bibtex
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
T1 - Translating European labor relations practices to the United States through global framework agreements?
T2 - German and swedish multinationals compared
AU - Helfen, Markus O.
AU - Schüßler, Elke
AU - Stevis, Dimitris
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2016.
PY - 2016/5
Y1 - 2016/5
N2 - Extensive research has shown that European multinational enterprises (MNEs) have a propensity to avoid collective employee representation when going abroad. This study investigates whether Global Framework Agreements (GFAs) can reverse this pattern by comparing how four European MNEs-two from Germany and two from Sweden implement GFAs in the United States, a country with weak collective representation rights. The authors find that an MNE's home country labor relations (LR) system mediates whether GFAs support collective representation in the United States. Sweden's monistic LR system, in which unions are the dominant organizations legally representing workers, gives unions the power to directly influence the negotiation and implementation of GFAs. By contrast, Germany's dualistic LR system, in which unions and works councils share worker representation, weakens the influence of unions on implementing the GFA. MNEs' home country LR systems thus influence how transnational instruments are used to improve collective representation in host countries.
AB - Extensive research has shown that European multinational enterprises (MNEs) have a propensity to avoid collective employee representation when going abroad. This study investigates whether Global Framework Agreements (GFAs) can reverse this pattern by comparing how four European MNEs-two from Germany and two from Sweden implement GFAs in the United States, a country with weak collective representation rights. The authors find that an MNE's home country labor relations (LR) system mediates whether GFAs support collective representation in the United States. Sweden's monistic LR system, in which unions are the dominant organizations legally representing workers, gives unions the power to directly influence the negotiation and implementation of GFAs. By contrast, Germany's dualistic LR system, in which unions and works councils share worker representation, weakens the influence of unions on implementing the GFA. MNEs' home country LR systems thus influence how transnational instruments are used to improve collective representation in host countries.
KW - Management studies
KW - CSR
KW - Collective representation
KW - Global Framework Agreements
KW - HRM
KW - ILO standards
KW - Transfer of labor relations practices
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84963594023&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/d8ecf97d-de9e-3069-9c3f-51dc9b02d768/
U2 - 10.1177/0019793915624090
DO - 10.1177/0019793915624090
M3 - Journal articles
AN - SCOPUS:84963594023
VL - 69
SP - 631
EP - 655
JO - Industrial and Labor Relations Review
JF - Industrial and Labor Relations Review
SN - 0019-7939
IS - 3
ER -