Organizing Matters Organizing
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Organizing Matters ‘Mundlak’s comprehensive, incisive and pathbreaking book comes at a critical time for the labor movement and for labor scholars. Especially for observers Organizing Matters of US labor law and policy, the insights here could not be more important or more timely. As lawyers, scholars and advocates in the US begin to look abroad at models of sectoral bargaining, Mundlak’s analysis equips us to answer the thorniest questions – including those concerning the relationship between coverage and membership, between thin and thick notions of membership, and between membership, legitimacy, and democracy more Organizing Matters broadly. A highly welcome contribution.’ Benjamin I. Sachs, Harvard Law School, USA Two Logics of Trade Union Organizing Matters demonstrates the interplay between two distinct logics of Representation labour’s collective action: on the one hand, workers coming together, usually at their place of work, entrusting the union to represent their interests and, on the other hand, social bargaining in which the trade union constructs Guy Mundlak labour’s interests from the top down. The book investigates the tensions and potential complementarities between the two logics through the combination of a strong theoretical framework and an extensive qualitative case study of trade union organizing and recruitment in four countries – Austria, Germany, Israel and the Netherlands. These countries still utilize social-wide bargaining but find it necessary to draw and develop strategies transposed from Anglo-American countries in response to continuously declining membership. Guy Mundlak Trade unionists and scholars will find this a compelling story of organizing, narrated in the voice of organizers, trade union officials and local observers. This is a source for reflection on the daily hardship and strategic goals of organizing. Theorists will be able to utilize the two logics for explaining ongoing challenges for trade unions’ revitalization worldwide. Guy Mundlak is a Professor wat Tel Aviv University, Israel. CONTACT Andy Driver JOB NO 3078 DATE SENT 14.01.2020 TITLE Organising Matters EDITOR Caroline Cornish TEL 07944 643920 PRODUCTION Controller Ilsa Williamson ORDER 69303 SPINE BULK 18mm JACKET SIZE Royal PPC 236mm x 154mm COLOURS CMYK EMAIL [email protected] PLEASE NOTE Colours on printed laser proofs may differ slightly to those viewed on PDFs due to the nature of laser printing compared to the colour values seen on screen. Organizing Matters Property of Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. Unauthorised copying or distribution is prohibited. MUNDLAK_9781839104022_t.indd 1 27/04/2020 13:33 ILERA PUBLICATION SERIES The ILERA publication series covers the general theme of comparative labour and employment relations. Books in the series focus on comparative analysis of labour and employment relations, broadly interpreted to comprise all aspects of work including labour policy, labour market analysis, labour relations and collective bargaining, human resource management, and work- and workplace- related topics. Trade Unions and Migrant Workers New Contexts and Challenges in Europe Edited by Stefania Marino, Judith Roosblad and Rinus Penninx Organizing Matters Two Logics of Trade Union Representation Guy Mundlak Property of Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. Unauthorised copying or distribution is prohibited. MUNDLAK_9781839104022_t.indd 2 27/04/2020 13:33 Organizing Matters Two Logics of Trade Union Representation Guy Mundlak Tel Aviv University, Israel ILERA PUBLICATION SERIES Cheltenham, UK • Northampton, MA, USA International Labour Office Geneva, Switzerland Property of Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. Unauthorised copying or distribution is prohibited. MUNDLAK_9781839104022_t.indd 3 27/04/2020 13:33 © International Labour Organization 2020 First published 2020 This is an open access work distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Users can redistribute the work for non-commercial purposes, as long as it is passed along unchanged and in whole, as detailed in the License. The ILO must be clearly credited as the owner of the original work. Any translation or adaptation of the original content requires the written authorization of the ILO. The use of the emblem of the ILO is not permitted in connection with users’ work. The designations employed in ILO publications, which are in conformity with United Nations practice, and the presentation of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Labour Offi ce concerning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed articles, studies and other contributions rests solely with their authors, and publication does not constitute an endorsement by the International Labour Offi ce of the opinions expressed in them. Reference to names of fi rms and commercial products and processes does not imply their endorsement by the International Labour Offi ce, and any failure to mention a particular fi rm, commercial product or process is not a sign of disapproval. Published by Edward Elgar Publishing Limited Edward Elgar Publishing, Inc. The Lypiatts William Pratt House 15 Lansdown Road 9 Dewey Court Cheltenham Northampton Glos GL50 2JA Massachusetts 01060 UK USA In association with International Labour Offi ce 4 route des Morillons CH-1211 Geneva 22 Switzerland ISBN 978-92-2-031421-0 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Control Number: 2019956799 This book is available electronically in the Social and Political Science subject collection DOI 10.4337/9781839104039 ISBN 978 1 83910 402 2 (cased) ISBN 978 1 83910 403 9 (eBook) Typeset by Servis Filmsetting Ltd, Stockport, Cheshire Property of Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. Unauthorised copying or distribution is prohibited. MUNDLAK_9781839104022_t.indd 4 27/04/2020 13:33 Contents Acknowledgements vii Introduction: A theory of two logics, a study of four countries 1 1 The two logics of labour’s association 9 2 Hybrid industrial relations systems: Between Ghent and sliced-up bargaining units 35 3 Four hybrid industrial relations systems: Converging challenges, divergent institutions 61 4 Declining membership and a rising legitimacy gap 86 5 Membership-based strategies: Organizing and recruitment 111 6 Between two logics: Strains of organizing when membership counts 155 7 Between two logics: Bridging practices as a path towards revitalization 182 Postscript: The two logics and membership counts 217 References 229 Index 247 v Property of Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. Unauthorised copying or distribution is prohibited. MUNDLAK_9781839104022_t.indd 5 27/04/2020 13:33 Property of Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. Unauthorised copying or distribution is prohibited. MUNDLAK_9781839104022_t.indd 6 27/04/2020 13:33 Acknowledgements This manuscript began with the exploration of organizing practices in 2014. The conversion of the initial findings into a full-fledged manuscript was triggered by the International Association of Labour and Employment Relations (ILERA), which patiently supported me throughout the process. Their backing enabled me to extend the fieldwork from 2014 into a second round in 2018, adding perspective and depth to my attempt to understand the experience of organizing in selected countries. I would like to extend my gratitude first and foremost to all those informants who generously provided me their time and wisdom. Having promised them anonymity during the interviews – about which some cared but others didn’t – I can only express my deepest appreciation in this general way. Informants hosted me at their homes, or I met them in their offices, onsite or at midnight in a bar after a long day of organizing. Often they promised me an hour and then spent many more with me, telling stories, contemplating, confiding and reflecting. In Israel, where my initial interest in the topic was sparked, organizers who attended my classes, students who graduated and became organizers, lawyers who consulted with me on legal responses to challenges, trade union officials disposed to making change and the workers on a picket line were all essential to developing this project. My own theoretical reflections would not have come to light without all these players in four countries, whose candid enthusiasm and concern made this a fascinating journey. I met Michael Crosby when I presented the framework I’d developed after the first round of interviews, and he shared his experience and extended his advice and encouragement. Hila Shamir, Matthew Finkin and Sanford Jacoby were particularly helpful and encouraging in the process of thinking out the findings after the first stage of the study, and their thoughts and comments shaped the shift from the early stages to this manuscript. Lilach Luria, Assaf Bondy, Shai Biran and Tammy Katsabian read, commented and challenged at various stages of this project. Sophie Koppel, Asjer Waterman, Lisa Frense, Sarah Fleck and Nimrod Etzion extended invaluable research assistance. I am indebted to the support of Chris Edgar at the International Labour Organization (ILO) and to the editing work of Ruvik Danieli. Participants in numerous vii Property of Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. Unauthorised copying or distribution is prohibited. MUNDLAK_9781839104022_t.indd 7 27/04/2020 13:33