Trade Unions in Renewal: A Comparative StudyPeter Fairbrother, Charlotte A. B. Yates For years, unions in Anglo-American countries have suffered stagnant or declining memberships. They have experienced diminishing political and economic influence and many are going through crises in the representation of members. During the 1990s a number of union labor federations began to debate these problems. Aimed at rebuilding memberships and restoring their political and economic strength, unions and labor federations have experimented with a host of new ideas and practices. These center on organizing the unorganized, internal reorganization, and membership mobilization. Trade Unions in Renewal brings together a series of special studies of union renewal from five different countries; United States, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and Canada. Although unions across the five countries have all been influenced by recent debates surrounding the organizing model, several unions and the five national federations have charted their own course of renewal. These range from internal union democratization and membership mobilization to new partnership models with employers and governments. |
Contents
TABLES | 12 |
The American labour movement and the resurgence in union | 32 |
the transition to social movement | 51 |
one union fights for life | 102 |
From organizational breadth to depth? New Zealands trade | 117 |
the service and food workers union | 135 |
the adoption of the organizing model in | 180 |
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Trade Unions in Renewal: A Comparative Study Peter Fairbrother,Charlotte A. B. Yates No preview available - 2003 |
Common terms and phrases
activists activity ACTU AEEU AFL-CIO agenda amalgamations approach Australian unions Bronfenbrenner building Canadian unions cent central challenge chapter collective agreement collective bargaining commitment countries crisis democracy economic effective election employers Employment Contracts Act Fairbrother focus globalization groups Heery Hurd identity increased Industrial Relations industrial unions initiatives international unions involved issues labour market labour movement leaders leadership membership decline ment merger negotiation neo-liberal non-union officials Organising organizing campaigns organizing model organizing strategies partially revitalized participation political practices private sector programme public sector rank-and-file recruitment reform Research restructuring revitalized locals role SEIU service sector servicing model shift social movement unionism social partnership staff success tactics Telstra tion Trades Union Congress traditional UFCW union democracy union density union members union membership union movement union organizing union renewal Union Strategies wages workforce workplace change Zealand