Labor Movements and UnionsGeriatric Care and Nursing HomesEmployment and Welfare Studies

Seon Mi Kim, Jeffrey R. Lax, C. Gelman, Cristian Cosey

2026.5.3ECONOMIC AND INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACY

DOI: 10.1177/0143831x261440737

Abstract

This study examines how perceived organizational support (POS) and job crafting influence job satisfaction among home care workers in Cooperative Home Care Associates (CHCA), a unionized worker cooperative. Survey data from 314 workers and structural equation modeling indicate that the positive aspects of POS are the strongest predictor of satisfaction, with a modest indirect effect via cognitive job crafting. This suggests that, even in precarious care work, organizational support embedded in worker-led structures enhances satisfaction directly and by reshaping the meaning and value of work. This extends POS and job crafting theories to precarious labor and highlights worker-led organizations as viable institutional supports for care workers.

Citation format

KIM, Seon Mi, et al. Caring for the carers: Organizational support, job crafting, and job satisfaction in a unionized worker cooperative. ECONOMIC AND INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACY, 2026.