Non-Walrasian Unemployment Fluctuations

We modify the standard real business cycle model by assuming that wages are set by a monopoly union at the firm level. In the context of such a model, we introduce a measure of unemployment and analyze its equilibrium behavior. We show that a calibrated version of the model is capable of generating both a procyclical labor supply and a countercyclical unemployment rate, in a way qualitatively consistent with the evidence. The model stresses the role of countercyclical markups in the goods market as a key mechanism underlying the countercyclical behavior of unemployment.