Length of Service and Layoffs in Union and Nonunion Work Groups
          
                  Katharine G. Abraham and James L. Medoff
      
  
, 
            1
      (    
                  38
      
  
)
            Industrial and Labor Relations Review
      
            87-97
      
            October
      
            1984
          
                          
      
  
  Abstract
              This paper presents survey evidence from about 200 firms that protection against job loss grows with employees' length of service even after controlling for the perceived net value of employees to the firm. As would be expected, senior workers are better protected against permanent layoff in union than in nonunion firms, but even in the absence of unionism, longer service generally translates into extra protection.