Gerald Friedman, Reigniting the Labor Movement Craig Phelan
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100 Spouting Anticollaborationist Slogans Against Those on the Left
THE LABOUR MOVEMENT AND THE LEFT IN THE UNITED STATES* Stanley Aronowitz During the 1960s and early 1970s, majority sentiment on the American left held that the American trade union movement had become a relatively conservative interest group. It fought within the Democratic Party, and in direct bargaining with corporations and government, for an increasingly narrow vision of its interests. For example, when confronted with the demands of blacks for full equality within the unions as much as within society as a whole, labour leaders responded with a dual position. The unions remained committed in general to civil rights at the legislative level, but were primarily protective of their members' immediate interests in higher pay and job security. When these interests were in conflict with the demand for full equality, some unions abandoned all but a legislative commitment to civil rights. On the question of the Vietnam war, most unions were either bellicose supporters of the Johnson policies, or remained silent, due either to the ambivalence of some leaders about the war or to unresolved debates among members. The left was aware that a section of the trade union leadership distinguished itself from the generally conservative policies of a section of industrial unions around the ILGWU, the building trades, and most of the old-line union leaders (all of whom grouped around George Meany). This more liberal wing of the labour leadership was led by the United Auto Workers (UAW) and included most of the old CIO unions except the Steelworkers, as well as some former AFL unions (notably, the Amalgamated Meatcutters, some sections of the Machinists, and the State, County, and Municipal Employees). -
THE BATTLE for SOCIALIST IDEAS in the 1980S
THE BATTLE FOR SOCIALIST IDEAS IN THE 1980s Stuart Hall I am honoured to be asked to give the first Fred Tonge lecture. I am pleased to be associated with the inspiration behind it, which is to commemorate the link between theory and practice, between socialist ideas and socialist politics, and thereby keep alive the memory of some- one who served the labour movement in both these ways throughout his life. Fred Tonge's commitment to socialism did not wane with age, as it has in so many other quarters. His commitment to socialist international- ism did not degenerate into that parochialism which so often besets our movement. He understood the absolute centrality of political education to the achievement of socialism. Those are very distinctive qualities and I want, in what follows to make a small contribution to their continuity. So I have chosen to talk about the struggle, the battle, for socialist ideas in the 1980s. First, I want to say something about the importance of ideological struggle. Thinking about the place and role of ideas in the construction of socialism, I would particularly emphasise the notion of struggle itself: ideology is a battlefield and every other kind of struggle has a stake in it. I want therefore to talk about the ideological pre-condition for socialist advance: the winning of a majority of the people-the working people of the society and their allies-to socialist ideas in the decades immediately ahead. I stress the centrality of the domain of the ideological-political ideas and the struggle to win hearts and minds to socialism-because I am struck again and again by the way in which socialists still assume that somehow socialism is inevitable. -
Walkouts Teach U.S. Labor a New Grammar for Struggle
Walkouts teach U.S. labor a new grammar for struggle This article will appear in the Summer 2018 issue of New Politics. Like the Arab Spring, the U.S. “education Spring,” was an explosive wave of protests. State-wide teacher walkouts seemed to arise out of nowhere, organized in Facebook groups, with demands for increased school funding and political voice for teachers. Though the walkouts confounded national media outlets, which had little idea how to explain or report on the movements, for parent and teacher activists who have been organizing against reforms in public education in the past four decades, the protests were both unexpected and understandable. What was surprising was their breadth of support (state-wide), their organizing strategy (Facebook), and their breathtakingly rapid spread. For most of the far-Right, the West Virginia, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arizona, and North Carolina walkouts showed greedy public employees exploiting their job security to get pay and benefits better than hard-working taxpayers have. However, teachers won wide popular support, even from Republicans, forcing the media-savvier elements of the Right to alter their tone. The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) posted a blog with a sympathetic tone pushing the same stance. “While teachers are justly frustrated by take-home pay, their total compensation is typically a lot higher than many teachers realize. That’s because teacher retirement and health-care systems are much more expensive than those of the taxpayers who pay for them — whether those taxpayers work in the private or public sector.” Shedding crocodile teachers for teachers who are underpaid and retirees without adequate pensions, AEI rejects the idea more school funding would help. -
Revolutionary Syndicalist Opposition to the First World War: A
Re-evaluating syndicalist opposition to the First World War Darlington, RR http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0023656X.2012.731834 Title Re-evaluating syndicalist opposition to the First World War Authors Darlington, RR Type Article URL This version is available at: http://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/19226/ Published Date 2012 USIR is a digital collection of the research output of the University of Salford. Where copyright permits, full text material held in the repository is made freely available online and can be read, downloaded and copied for non-commercial private study or research purposes. Please check the manuscript for any further copyright restrictions. For more information, including our policy and submission procedure, please contact the Repository Team at: [email protected]. Re-evaluating Syndicalist Opposition to the First World War Abstract It has been argued that support for the First World War by the important French syndicalist organisation, the Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT) has tended to obscure the fact that other national syndicalist organisations remained faithful to their professed workers’ internationalism: on this basis syndicalists beyond France, more than any other ideological persuasion within the organised trade union movement in immediate pre-war and wartime Europe, can be seen to have constituted an authentic movement of opposition to the war in their refusal to subordinate class interests to those of the state, to endorse policies of ‘defencism’ of the ‘national interest’ and to abandon the rhetoric of class conflict. This article, which attempts to contribute to a much neglected comparative historiography of the international syndicalist movement, re-evaluates the syndicalist response across a broad geographical field of canvas (embracing France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Britain and America) to reveal a rather more nuanced, ambiguous and uneven picture. -
Working to Contract and Working to Rule
UCU dispute 2011 Working to contract and working to rule Guidance for UCU branches and members Starting on 10 October, 2011 the union is This is not straightforward. Academic contracts asking members to abide by the terms of are highly flexible and often vague. Local their contracts (including their obligation to agreements covering workload vary markedly. perform their duties in an efficient manner), but However, we have provided guidance in as to do no more than that; and in particular to: much detail as possible, as well as links to local contracts, agreements and policies below. l to work no more than their contracted hours where those hours are expressly General stated, and in any event not to exceed 1. What is the dispute about? the maximum number of hours per week The USS employers have imposed an stipulated in the Working Time Regulations inferior, two tier system which will see new starters receive much lower benefits; l to perform no additional voluntary duties, reduce protection of our pensions against such as out of hours cover, or covering for inflation and reduce the amount staff colleagues (unless such cover is contractu- receive if they are made redundant. ally required) The proposals have been opposed by l to undertake no duties in breach of health USS members in two referendums, and and safety policies or other significant by UCU members in two industrial action employer’s policies ballots, but the employers have insisted on imposing them without further negotia- l to set and mark no work beyond that work tion. which they are contractually obliged to set and/or mark The employers initially proposed to UCU that all staff should be placed on the in- l to attend no meetings where such atten- ferior 'career average' terms now to be dance is voluntary on the part of the offered to new starters. -
A Brief Introduction to the Saga of the Labor Movement for Emerging Militants
A Brief Introduction to the Saga of the Labor Movement for Emerging Militants This piece is the text of a talk given to the Democratic Socialists of America Lower Manhattan Branch’s Political Education Working Group on December 4, 2019, serving as introduction to “Bernie and Labor” part of its series “Why Bernie?” The picture on the right represents the Haymarket Riot, Chicago, May 4, 1886, when police attacked a labor demonstration demanding the eight-hour day and protesting the May 1 disruption of an earlier protest march. The massacre was one of many attacks by police against labor initiatives. I have ten minutes to present the briefest of introductions on some few salient points pertaining to a history of workers’ struggles in the U.S. Good luck to that! Offering a systemic view of the nearly 200 years of domestic labor struggles, triumphs, tragedies and legacies in just one sixth of an hour is akin to tackling the briefest histories of the Roman Conquests, resurrection in the fractured Holy Roman Empire and its homicidal if not its farcical reiteration in the Nazi Thousand Year Reich that mercifully lasted just 12 years. But like a centurion, I shall soldier on. What follows are some basic if necessarily sketchy assumptions. First, we need to understand that most if not all of labor’s key breakthroughs, including the huge industrial union upsurges that followed immediately after World War I and then repeated so magnificently in the 1930s, were not primarily the product of either progressive politicians such as FDR and his brain trust or even talented, foresighted labor leaders like John L. -
Michigan Laborlabor Law:Law: Whatwhat Everyevery Citizencitizen Shouldshould Knowknow
August 1999 A Mackinac Center Report MichiganMichigan LaborLabor Law:Law: WhatWhat EveryEvery CitizenCitizen ShouldShould KnowKnow by Robert P. Hunter, J. D., L L. M Workers’ and Employers’ Rights and Responsibilities, and Recommendations for a More Government-Neutral Approach to Labor Relations The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a nonpartisan research and educational organization devoted to improving the quality of life for all Michigan citizens by promoting sound solutions to state and local policy questions. The Mackinac Center assists policy makers, scholars, business people, the media, and the public by providing objective analysis of Michigan issues. The goal of all Center reports, commentaries, and educational programs is to equip Michigan citizens and other decision makers to better evaluate policy options. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is broadening the debate on issues that has for many years been dominated by the belief that government intervention should be the standard solution. Center publications and programs, in contrast, offer an integrated and comprehensive approach that considers: All Institutions. The Center examines the important role of voluntary associations, business, community and family, as well as government. All People. Mackinac Center research recognizes the diversity of Michigan citizens and treats them as individuals with unique backgrounds, circumstances, and goals. All Disciplines. Center research incorporates the best understanding of economics, science, law, psychology, history, and morality, moving beyond mechanical cost/benefit analysis. All Times. Center research evaluates long-term consequences, not simply short-term impact. Committed to its independence, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy neither seeks nor accepts any government funding. It enjoys the support of foundations, individuals, and businesses who share a concern for Michigan’s future and recognize the important role of sound ideas. -
Trade Unions and Labour Conflicts: Social Movement and Radical Political Unionism in France and Italy
Italian Political Science, VOLUME 14 ISSUE 3, FEBRUARY 2020 Trade unions and labour conflicts: Social movement and radical political unionism in France and Italy Katia Pilati UNIVERSITY OF TRENTO Sabrina Perra UNIVERSITY OF CAGLIARI Abstract This article explores differences in labour conflicts in Italy and France by focusing on the characteristics of the most prominent structures of worker mobilization: trade unions. Despite several similarities between the French and Italian industrial relations systems, and despite the fact that trade union density in Italy is more than three times greater than it is in France, France is one of the few European countries in which the average strike volume increased after the Great Recession. Protests in France also peaked in the pre-crisis period, while Italy did not show any wave of contention. We contend that the nature and level of labour conflicts observed in the two countries in the last two decades depend on alliances between trade unions and other social groups and organ- izations sustaining worker mobilization, specifically, social movement organizations. In particular, we argue that labour conflicts are related to the characteristics of social movement unionism. Evidence from cases studies in France and Italy suggests that the role of trade unions and their alliances has been different in the two countries. Confederal trade unions in France have been able to engage in social movement unionism within broader coa- litions involving other social categories and social movement organizations. In contrast, in Italy, these dynamics have mostly involved small rank-and-file unions and self-organized workers’ groups engaged in radical political unionism. -
Does Strike Action Stimulate Trade Union Membership Growth? Hodder, Andrew; Williams, Mark; Kelly, John; Mccarthy, Nick
University of Birmingham Does strike action stimulate trade union membership growth? Hodder, Andrew; Williams, Mark; Kelly, John; McCarthy, Nick DOI: 10.1111/bjir.12188 License: Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND) Document Version Peer reviewed version Citation for published version (Harvard): Hodder, A, Williams, M, Kelly, J & McCarthy, N 2017, 'Does strike action stimulate trade union membership growth?', British Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 55, no. 1, pp. 165-186. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjir.12188 Link to publication on Research at Birmingham portal Publisher Rights Statement: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Does strike action stimulate trade union membership growth? , which has been published in final form at 10.1111/bjir.12188. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. General rights Unless a licence is specified above, all rights (including copyright and moral rights) in this document are retained by the authors and/or the copyright holders. The express permission of the copyright holder must be obtained for any use of this material other than for purposes permitted by law. •Users may freely distribute the URL that is used to identify this publication. •Users may download and/or print one copy of the publication from the University of Birmingham research portal for the purpose of private study or non-commercial research. •User may use extracts from the document in line with the concept of ‘fair dealing’ under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (?) •Users may not further distribute the material nor use it for the purposes of commercial gain. -
Precarious Work in Asia Pacific Has Been Identified by Trade Unions Across the Region As a Central Concern for Working People
A 10 country study by The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and ITUC Asia-Pacific 2014 Asia Pacific Region Precarious work in the work Precarious FOREWARD ..........................................................................................................................................5 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................7 COUNTRY PROFILES ...........................................................................................................................13 Australia .............................................................................................................................................14 Cambodia ...........................................................................................................................................19 Indonesia............................................................................................................................................23 Japan .................................................................................................................................................29 Contents Korea, Republic of ...............................................................................................................................37 Nepal .................................................................................................................................................47 New Zealand ......................................................................................................................................52 -
Effect of the Public Interest on the Right to Strike and to Bargain Collectively Oscar S
NORTH CAROLINA LAW REVIEW Volume 27 | Number 2 Article 2 2-1-1949 Effect of the Public Interest on the Right to Strike and to Bargain Collectively Oscar S. Smith Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.law.unc.edu/nclr Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Oscar S. Smith, Effect of the Public Interest on the Right to Strike and to Bargain Collectively, 27 N.C. L. Rev. 204 (1949). Available at: http://scholarship.law.unc.edu/nclr/vol27/iss2/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Carolina Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in North Carolina Law Review by an authorized administrator of Carolina Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE EFFECT OF THE PUBLIC INTEREST ON THE RIGHT TO STRIKE AND TO BARGAIN COLLECTIVELY* OSCAR S. SMTH** In March, 1948, President Truman for the first time invoked the emergency procedures of Title II of the Labor Management Relations Act.' The occasion for this action was a threatened strike of 17 Amer- ican Federation of Labor unions at one of the atomic energy plants in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. A Board of Inquiry, under the Chairmanship of John Lord O'Brien, was appointed to investigate and report the facts in the controversy. In its report this Board found six issues of prime importance in dis- pute. The first of these six prime issues had to do with a union demand for a contractual restriction on its freedom to strike at times of wage reopening or contract renegotiation. -
Reclaiming Syndicalism: from Spain to South Africa to Global Labour Today
Global Issues Reclaiming Syndicalism: From Spain to South Africa to global labour today Lucien van der Walt, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa Union politics remain central to the new century. It remains central because of the ongoing importance of unions as mass movements, internationally, and because unions, like other popular movements, are confronted with the very real challenge of articulating an alternative, transformative vision. There is much to be learned from the historic and current tradition of anarcho- and revolutionary syndicalism. This is a tradition with a surprisingly substantial and impressive history, including in the former colonial world; a tradition that envisages anti-bureaucratic and bottom-up trade unions as key means of educating and mobilising workers, and of championing the economic, social and political struggles of the broad working class, independent of parliamentary politics and party tutelage; and that aims, ultimately, at transforming society through union-led workplace occupations that will institute self-management and participatory economic planning, abolishing markets, hierarchies and states. This contribution seeks, firstly, to contribute to the recovery of the historical memory of the working class by drawing attention to its multiple traditions and rich history; secondly, to make a contribution to current debates on the struggles, direction and options for the working class movement (including unions) in a period of flux in which the fixed patterns of the last forty years are slowly melting away; thirdly, it argues that many current union approaches – among them, business unionism, social movement unionism, and political unionism – have substantial failings and limitations; and finally, it points to the need for labour studies and industrial sociology to pay greater attention to labour traditions besides business unionism, social movement unionism, and political unionism.