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Perpetual Struggle: Sources of Working-Class Identity and Activism in Collective Action

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Perpetual Struggle: Sources of Working-Class Identity and Activism in Collective Action PERPETUAL STRUGGLE: SOURCES OF WORKING-CLASS IDENTITY AND ACTIVISM IN COLLECTIVE ACTION by Rachel E. Meyer A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Sociology) in The University of Michigan 2008 Doctoral Committee: Professor Howard A. Kimeldorf, Chair Professor Gregory B. Markus Professor Mark S. Mizruchi Emeritus Professor Mayer N. Zald Associate Professor Alford A. Young, Jr. copyright Rachel E. Meyer ______________________________________________________________________ 2008 To James, Noah and Gabriel ii Acknowledgements I am deeply grateful to the people whose testimony underlies this analysis, and I want to thank everyone who shared their stories with me. Although they will remain nameless in the interest of confidentiality, their honesty, openness, and insight were very much appreciated. In particular I would like to thank Madeline Talbott who for many years was lead organizer of Illinois ACRON. She was extremely helpful when I was doing research on the ground in Chicago, offering both a bird’s-eye view of the campaign along with detailed knowledge of the events and the people involved. She generously took time out of her busy schedule to make sure that this project got off the ground. Her support for this research, along with her insightful commentary on the living wage campaign, were crucial to its success. Inspiration for this project came out of my experiences with the members, officers and staff of the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE) where I learned first hand about the transformative power of collective action. I owe both inspirational and intellectual debts to my dear friends from the labor movement: Mark Dilley, Gail Francis, Polly Halfkenny, John Lambiase, Kim Lawson, and Mary McGinn. I am also extremely lucky to have been supported by many close and devoted friends throughout the dissertation process. Michael Baran, Jill Constantino, Tom Jehn, iii Michele Kotler, Janet McIntosh, Krista Olson, and Monica Serrano have always been supportive of my work and have lent a sympathetic ear when needed. Cynthia Campbell and Paul Sludds were my rocks during graduate school in Ann Arbor and beyond. These folks aren’t blood, but they are truly family. What would I do without you? I also wish to thank everyone from the Thursday Night Curry Club, Plonk, and Burdock—the 514, 601, 827, and southwest side crowds—for their friendship and for making my graduate school experience particularly enjoyable. I will not attempt to name everyone here, as I’m bound to leave someone out, but I do want to extend special thanks to Jason Antrosio, Adam Becker, Eric Bucsela, Ana Silva Collins, Gabriel Silva Collins, John Collins, Chris DeMars, Sallie Han, Becca Kennedy, John MacArthur, Sarah Ross, Stefani Salazar, Genese Sodikoff, Juliana VanOlphen, and Hank Wolfe. For the duration of this project I was involved in a dissertation study group. The intellectual guidance, practical support, and friendship offered by the women in this group was invaluable. In addition to former members who would periodically drop in, I spent untold hours discussing the dissertation with Susannah Dolance, Lisa Fein, Kim Greenwell, Asli Gur, and Burcak Keskin Kozat. In particular, Tasleem Padamsee has been there at every crucial point along the way—high and low—to offer advice and support. I have been fortunate to receive generous funding in support of this study. Research for the project was supported by a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant from the National Science Foundation (grant # SES 0424768) along with the University of Michigan Sociology Department’s Doctoral Dissertation/Thesis Grant. The writing stage of the project was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate iv Research Fellowship and a University of Michigan Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship, along with a scholarship from the Center for the Education of Women. I would like to thank Pat Preston for her invaluable assistance with grant preparation and administration, along with my student research assistant Robert Gundlach. My transcriptionists—Joanne Hartmeyer, Melissa Hartmeyer, and Silvia Rojas-Anadon—spent countless hours producing very detailed, thorough transcripts. Silvia also very skillfully supplied translations for the interviews that were conducted in Spanish. And conversations with Robert Penney in the early stages of writing proved very helpful on the topic of collective efficacy. I wish to extend my utmost appreciation to those who have taken time to read chapter drafts and other manuscripts related to this project. Dan Clawson and Judy Stepan-Norris provided thoughtful comments and invaluable feedback on central issues and themes. David Dobbie has made himself readily available to read drafts, and has always given feedback that was helpful and constructive. Ian Robinson offered constructive critique on an early chapter draft, and was understanding when the dissertation got in the way of our research collaboration. This project would not be where it is today without the support and guidance of my dissertation committee. Greg Markus’ feedback on the project has always been practical, relevant, and on point. I appreciate his willingness to dive into the project from afar, and to be readily available to offer such engaged commentary. Alford Young, Jr. has been exceptionally good at pulling out the strengths and contributions of the study— often ones that I did not see. Always positive and supportive, he has an uncanny ability to take what you have produced and to find its strengths no matter what phase of the v thinking and writing process you are in, while being expansive and forward thinking about its contributions. Mark Mizruchi encouraged me to push the project further in terms of depth, clarity, and intellectual rigor. I always looked forward to his incisive, constructive critique, knowing that the project would be better for it. I would not have wanted to go through the dissertation process without Mark. Mayer Zald has offered long-term support throughout graduate school, always making himself available and reading multiple chapter drafts during the long writing process. He has an ability to hone in on an argument, cut to the heart of the matter, and present the intervention or question that is most necessary. He has also pushed me to think expansively in terms of how the dissertation relates to other work—other studies, literature, theorists, and disciplines—and to make connections that I would not have been able to make myself. My committee chair, Howard Kimeldorf, has been involved with this project from its conception. I simply could not have asked for a better advisor. His thoughtful interventions on countless written drafts and in endless conversations have been invaluable. Howard has both an expert command of the subject matter and a keen sense for the practice of research (not to mention an incisive red pen that has left its indelible mark on these pages). His insight, commitment, and humor have seen me through every phase of the project. I have, moreover, benefitted from collaboration with Howard on a manuscript about solidarity and collective action that uses much of the same data that is found in Chapter 2. Although the chapter moves in some different directions, its content and shape owe much to Howard’s thinking on the subject. He has been supportive and vi positive throughout, and it is to Howard that I owe the greatest intellectual debt, not to mention personal appreciation. In writing these acknowledgements it is unfortunately very difficult for me to deal with my troubled family of origin. Nevertheless, I owe a special thanks to my father, solid and sweet, who has always supported my academic pursuits. It is his intellectual curiosity and critical eye that shaped my own. I also wish to thank Anita who has always been good to me. Her confidence in my abilities has always been appreciated, along with her understanding of and support for the juggle of work and family life. My grandparents, Jim and Mary Meyer, kept me grounded before they died and gave me a place where I felt at home. I would also like to honor Russ Herron, an absolute gem of a person, who died shortly before I started graduate school but who has been an inspiration for how to live a good life and get through the tough times. As for my own nuclear family, they have always been supportive, and without them this process would have been much less enjoyable. For this I am extremely lucky. My two young sons, Noah and Gabriel, made me smile every day and reminded me of all that is important in life. They made me realize that it was as important to keep our frog alive as it was to keep the dissertation alive. They are the light of my life, keeping my feet on the ground no matter if my head was high in the sky. James Herron, my life partner, has always believed in me and in the value of the dissertation project. He has been integral to its success, from accompanying me to the field and taking on extra childcare to editing endless chapter drafts. He was particularly helpful in the early stages, as I began to sort out the major issues and themes, and was key in progressing my thinking on Chapter 3. James has always pushed to make the study better, approaching it vii with both a critical eye and with the utmost sympathy. And he’s also made sure that we’ve had a lot of fun along the way. It is to James, Noah, and Gabriel that I dedicate this work. viii Table of Contents Dedication…………………………………………………………………….……… ii Acknowledgements…………………………………………………….………….… iii List of Tables……………………………………………………….………………... xi Abstract…………………………………………………………….………………... xii CHAPTER ONE. Introduction…………………………………………………….…. 1 I. THE SUBECTIVE CONSEQUENCES OF COLLECTIVE ACTION II. THE ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL LOGICS OF COLLECTIVE ACTION III.
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