Transformational Leadership as a Source of Union Commitment : The Moderating Effect of Justice

While some studies of union renewal recognize the importance of understanding the act of representation, and more particularly, the relationship existing between those being represented and those doing the representing, the effect of the leadership of these union representatives has seldom been studied. This knowledge gap is addressed in two ways. First, we investigate the direct effect of the transformational leadership displayed by union representatives on union commitment. Second, we assess the moderating effect of distributive and procedural union justice on this relationship.Our questionnaire-based study involves a sample of 834 unionized workers from a company in Quebec. Multivariate linear regressions suggest the existence of a positive relationship between transformational leadership on the part of the union representative and union commitment, after controlling for age, gender, seniority and educational level. Moreover, the results show the moderating effect of procedural justice at the local union level on this relationship. More specifically, a local union recognized as offering fair and equitable procedures appears to enhance the leadership efforts of its representatives. From a theoretical perspective, this study supports social exchange theory and the group engagement model by showing that justice and transformational leadership involve the same emotional mechanisms. From a practical point of view, the results highlight the importance for local unions of paying specific attention to local practices that enhance the perception of procedural justice. These findings open up new avenues of research on revitalization efforts at the local level and the dynamics underlying the representative-represented relationship