Attitudes of Active Duty U.S. Air Force Personnel Toward Military Unionization

In the spring of 1976, a sixty-five-item questionnaire was distributed probing the issues related to the unionization of US military personnel. A total of 938 randomly selected US Air Force officers & enlisted personnel completed the questionnaire. The questionnaire contained biographic & nonbiographic questions. The majority of nonbiographic items were presented as positive or negative statements & accompanied by seven-point Likert scales. The primary analysis centers upon who is most likely to join a military union. Overall, 33% of the Rs expressed positive intent about joining a union, 31% were undecided, & 36% stated they would not join. Stepwise, multiple linear regressions were performed. Five predictor variables explained almost 70% of the variance in the responses to the criterion variable. The military member who is most likely to join a military union would: (1) believe that a military union will have no effect, or a positive effect, on the ability of the Air Force to perform its mission, (2) perceive a need for third-party representation in dealings with the Air Force, (3) believe that a military union could solve problems which an individual, on his own, could not, (4) believe that a military union could improve working conditions, & (5) believe that a military union would not impair supervisor-subordinate relations. Tabular displays are presented summarizing R replies to significant biographic & attitudinal items. Rs reported significant dissatisfaction with economic & benefits issues & they perceived that unions could effectively intercede with the Congress & military leadership on their behalf. Unionization of the US military is still a number of years in the future, if it occurs at all. A more likely development would be the formation of a highly patriotic & activist organization which aggressively pursues national-defense issues & champions the cause of military personnel. 8 Tables. Modified AA.