Innovation In Isolation: Labor-Management Partnerships In The United States,
2015
Radcliffe Public Policy Institute
Innovation In Isolation: Labor-Management Partnerships In The United States, Kirsten S. Wever, Rosemary Batt, Saul Rubinstein
Rosemary Batt
In the United States, as in other advanced industrial countries, worker participation in management has taken on increasing importance, placing pressures on employers and unions to change how they deal with employees/members, and with each other. This paper examines two of the most impressive cases in the U.S.: the partnerships between General Motors (G.M.) and the United Autoworkers union (U.A W.) at Saturn and between BellSouth and the Communication Workers union (C.W.A.). We outline the evolution and the basic features of these innovations, as well as highlighting certain ongoing problems. These problems, we argue, confront the parties to employment relations …
Review: John S. Ahlquist And Margaret Levi, 'In The Interest Of Others: Organizations And Social Activism" (Princeton & Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2013),
2015
University of Wollongong
Review: John S. Ahlquist And Margaret Levi, 'In The Interest Of Others: Organizations And Social Activism" (Princeton & Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2013), Rowan Cahill
Rowan Cahill
Review of the comparative study of trade union organizational behaviour by John S. Ahlquist and Margaret Levi, 'In the Interest of Others: Organizations and Social Activism" (Princeton & Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2013), which involves a target group of US and Australian trade unions.
Experimentation And Decentralization In China’S Labor Relations,
2015
Cornell University
Experimentation And Decentralization In China’S Labor Relations, Eli D. Friedman, Sarosh Kuruvilla
Eli D Friedman
In this introduction to the special issue ‘Changing work, labour and employment relations in China’, we argue that China is taking an experimental and decentralized approach to the development of new labor relations frameworks. Particular political constraints in China prevent interest aggregation among workers, as the central state sees this as posing a risk to social stability. Firms and local governments have been given a degree of space to experiment with different arrangements, as long as the categorical ban on independent unions is not violated. The consequence has been an increasingly differentiated labor relations landscape, with significant variation by region …
Getting Through The Hard Times Together? Chinese Workers And Unions Respond To The Economic Crisis,
2015
Cornell University
Getting Through The Hard Times Together? Chinese Workers And Unions Respond To The Economic Crisis, Eli D. Friedman
Eli D Friedman
How do post-socialist unions respond to market crisis? And what are the implications of this response for labor representation? Drawing on literature on post-socialist labor and union democracy, I argue that economic crisis affects not just labor – capital and labor – state relations, but also the relationship between union representatives and workers. Such a dynamic is highlighted by an empirical account of the divergent activities of workers and All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) unions in China following the economic crisis of 2008. While the union responded to mass unemployment with an administrative and policy-oriented strategy, workers took to …
Alienated Politics: Labour Insurgency And The Paternalistic State In China,
2015
Cornell University
Alienated Politics: Labour Insurgency And The Paternalistic State In China, Eli Friedman
Eli D Friedman
Is there a labour movement in China? This contribution argues that China does not have a labour movement, but that contestation between workers, state and capital is best characterized as a form of ‘alienated politics’. Widespread worker resistance is highly effective at the level of the firm be-cause of its ability to inflict losses on capital and disrupt public order. But authoritarian politics in China prevent workers from formulating political demands. Despite the spectacular repressive capacity of the state, the central government has in fact responded to highly localized resistance by passing generally pro-labour legislation over the past decade. The …
Insurgency And Institutionalization: The Polanyian Countermovement And Chinese Labor Politics,
2015
Cornell University
Insurgency And Institutionalization: The Polanyian Countermovement And Chinese Labor Politics, Eli D. Friedman
Eli D Friedman
Why is it that in the nearly 10 years since the Chinese central government began making symbolic and material moves towards class compromise that labor unrest has expanded greatly? In this article I reconfigure Karl Polanyi's theory of the countermovement to account for recent developments in Chinese labor politics. Specifically, I argue that countermovements must be broken down into two constituent but intertwined "moments": the insurgent moment that consists of spontaneous resistance to the market, and the institutional moment, when class compromise is established in the economic and political spheres. In China, the transition from insurgency to institutionalization has thus …
Labor Relations In A Globalizing World,
2015
Cornell University
Labor Relations In A Globalizing World, Harry C. Katz, Thomas A. Kochan, Alexander Colvin
Alexander Colvin
[Excerpt] This book traces how labor, management, and governments acting as individuals or as groups have shaped and continue to shape the employment relationship. Employment is analyzed through the perspective of industrial relations, the interdisciplinary field of study that concentrates on individual workers and groups of workers, unions and other forms of collective representation, employers and their organizations, and the environment in which these parties interact.
Newsroom: Yelnosky On Firefighters Decision,
2015
Roger Williams University
Newsroom: Yelnosky On Firefighters Decision, Roger Williams University School Of Law
Life of the Law School (1993- )
No abstract provided.
Youth Structures In Six European Trade Union Federations: A Short Overview,
2015
ETUI
Youth Structures In Six European Trade Union Federations: A Short Overview, Kurt Vandaele
Kurt Vandaele
This short contribution focuses on the structures for organizing and representing young workers in six European trade union federations (ETUFs). The reason for this is that recently trade union youth structures have stepped up their efforts, internally and externally, to promote the interests and needs of young workers. At least two motives in particular underlie the reinforcement of existing structures or the establishment of new ones. First of all, the increased prominence of those youth structures should be seen in light of the widespread growth in youth unemployment in Europe and European Commission initiatives, such as the Youth Guarantee, to …
More Of The Same: Wages And Collective Bargaining Still Under Pressure,
2015
ETUI
More Of The Same: Wages And Collective Bargaining Still Under Pressure, Torsten Müller, Stefan Clauwaert, Isabelle Schömann, Kurt Vandaele
Kurt Vandaele
Even as the danger of deflation looms large, the strategy of internal devaluation continues to dominate EU crisis management. In the field of wages and collective bargaining this strategy entails constant pressure on wages and the relentless pursuit of further ‘structural reforms’ aimed primarily at increasing the downward flexibility of wages. This strategy is applied, what is more, not to the ‘crisis countries’ alone but also to the rest of Europe in the context of the country-specific recommendations adopted in the framework of the European Semester (Schulten and Müller 2015). This chapter sets out to achieve 2 aims, the first …
Trade Unions’ ‘Deliberative Vitality’ Towards Young Workers: Survey Evidence Across Europe,
2015
ETUI
Trade Unions’ ‘Deliberative Vitality’ Towards Young Workers: Survey Evidence Across Europe, Kurt Vandaele
Kurt Vandaele
In Chapter 2, Kurt Vandaele focusses on the integration and participation of young workers in union life and structures. Vandaele uses data from six European Trade Union Federations to provide a comparative perspective of the established relationship between young workers and unions. As he notes, youth trade union structures can be successful and yield results in terms of membership and organising if they are not seen merely as ‘cosmetic constructions’.
Explaining Leaving Union Membership By The Degree Of Labour Market Attachment: Exploring The Case Of Germany,
2015
Copenhagen Business School
Explaining Leaving Union Membership By The Degree Of Labour Market Attachment: Exploring The Case Of Germany, Janine Leschke, Kurt Vandaele
Kurt Vandaele
By particularly stressing the weaker labour market attachment of workers with non-standard contracts, this article contributes to the rather unexplored issue of mainly non-union-related reasons for leaving trade unions. Germany has been selected as a case study because German unions experienced a steady decline in membership, while at the same time non-standard employment arrangements increased considerably and more so than the European average. Using the German Socio-Economic Panel data, the authors construct a labour market attachment variable capturing different degrees of attachment. Their analysis shows the impact of labour market attachment and firm-level characteristics on union leaving and points especially …
Historical Appraisal Of Military And Civilian Governments Intervention And Contributions To The Growth Of Industrial Relations In Nigeria,
2015
Tai Solarin University of Education, Ogun State, Nigeria
Historical Appraisal Of Military And Civilian Governments Intervention And Contributions To The Growth Of Industrial Relations In Nigeria, Olukunle Saheed Oludeyi
Olukunle Saheed, OLUDEYI
Governance differs in approaches, methods and policy focuses because they are guided by different administrative and philosophical orientations. The resultant shifts in government policies and programs have consequences on all aspects of the country’s socio-economic, political and technological development. Industrial relations constitute one of the most delicate and complex problems of the modern society which merits national concern for proper examination and balancing. Tracing government intervention in Nigerian industrial relations, this paper weighs the contributions of military dictators and their civilian counterparts to the growth of Nigerian industrial relations. With an historical account of how government’s principle of voluntarism metamorphosed …
Bad Math: How Non-Union Employees Are Unconstitutionally Compelled To Subsidize Political Speech,
2015
California State University, Northridge
Bad Math: How Non-Union Employees Are Unconstitutionally Compelled To Subsidize Political Speech, Shirley V. Svorny, Melanie S. Williams
Melanie S. Williams
Employees’ right to organize and be represented by unions is in tension with the right of other employees not to join organizations as a condition of employment. Current law permits unions to assess agency fees from represented non-members, reflecting the cost of representational activities (for example, contract negotiation). Unions may not, however, assess non-members for the cost of political activities, since this would infringe on the constitutional rights of such employees by requiring them to subsidize political speech. The method of calculating agency fees, however, has been almost uniformly mishandled, resulting in overcharging non-union members. In this paper, we examine …
Powerlessness Within A Budget-Driven Paradigm: A Grounded Theory Leadership Study From The Perspective Of Michigan Corrections Officers,
2015
Antioch University - PhD Program in Leadership and Change
Powerlessness Within A Budget-Driven Paradigm: A Grounded Theory Leadership Study From The Perspective Of Michigan Corrections Officers, Timothy Michael Eklin
Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses
This study explored the lived-experiences of 15 correctional officers and 5 sergeants working in adult state-operated prison facilities in Michigan. In particular, this qualitative grounded theory study revealed the impact that budget driven decision-making had on the lives of correctional officers: its effect on institutional custody, security, and safety. The study finds that many recent policy changes resulted in a sense of powerlessness expressed by the participants of the study. Participants found themselves in a precarious position, situated in between the prison population and the administration. Having an understanding of how correctional officers make meaning of their work in relation …
Strikes In Europe (Version 2.1, January 2015),
2014
ETUI
Strikes In Europe (Version 2.1, January 2015), Kurt Vandaele
Kurt Vandaele
This visual presentation shows the development of days not worked due to industrial action per 1,000 employees in most European countries since the year 2000.
Volkswagen Chattanooga And Its Battle For Workers' Representation,
2014
University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Volkswagen Chattanooga And Its Battle For Workers' Representation, Bianca C. Fankhauser
Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects
No abstract provided.
An Overview Of Collective Bargaining In The United States,
2014
Cornell University
An Overview Of Collective Bargaining In The United States, Lance A. Compa
Lance A Compa
[Excerpt] American history reflects a long cycle of trade union decline and growth. Analysts routinely predict the death of the labor movement. (Yeselson 2012). Heralds of labor’s demise often argue that unions were needed in the past, but modem, enlightened management and the need for economic competitiveness make them obsolete. (Troy 1999). But then, workers fed up with employers’ exploitation decide to find new ways to defend themselves. History does not repeat itself, and conditions now are not the same as those spurring the great organizing drives of the 1930s and ‘40s. Still, American workers have shown deep resourcefulness over …
Movimientos Obreros Y Por Los Derechos Humanos En América Latina: Convergencia, Divergencia Y Consecuencias Para La Promoción De Los Derechos Económicos, Sociales Y Culturales [Labor Movements And Human Rights In Latin America: Convergence, Divergence, And The Implications For The Promotion Of Economic, Social And Cultural Rights], Maria Lorena Cook
Maria Lorena Cook
[Excerpt] Los derechos propios del trabajo forman parte de los derechos humanos hace mucho tiempo y gozan del reconocimiento de pactos internacionales. La Declaración Universal de Derechos Humanos, adoptada por la Organización de las Naciones Unidas, en 1948, enumera los derechos a condiciones de trabajo justas y favorables; a igual remuneración por trabajo de igual valor; a una remuneración equitativa y favorable, y a formar sindicatos y afiliarse a ellos. El Pacto Internacional de Derechos Civiles y Políticos (PIDCP) incluye los derechos a la libertad de asociación y a formar sindicatos y afiliarse a ellos. El Pacto Internacional de Derechos …
Unionization And Income Inequality: The Impact Of Labor Union Participation On Income Inequality In The United States,
2014
Union College - Schenectady, NY
Unionization And Income Inequality: The Impact Of Labor Union Participation On Income Inequality In The United States, Terence Finnigan
Honors Theses
Using Current Population Survey data in the period from 1996 -2011, this paper analyzes the relationship between labor union participation and income inequality in each of the 50 U.S. states. Since the 1970s the income gap in the United States has grown steadily and today the United States is the most unequal of all OECD countries (with the exception of Mexico and Turkey). In the past ten years alone, the disposable income for middle class families in the United States has shrank by a figure of 4 percent. In addition to rising income inequality, labor union participation has been on …
