Abstract
This study reports the results of a survey of nearly 800 local union officers within the United Steelworkers of America. The survey covered a wide range of union commitment and support attitudes, including items relating to support for raising dues, striking, and political action committee fundraising. The survey also examined officers' attitudes with respect to union governance and effectiveness, making comparisons between local and International USWA levels. The results indicate that local officers are generally supportive of their union, as might be expected, but that their support varies significantly between traditional commitment items and items relating to dues increases, strikes, and political action. They also indicate that local officers were significantly less favorable in their attitudes toward the "fairness" of International elections than toward local elections. Overall, traditional measures of union commitment may overstate actual support for various union activities.
