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MIAMI UNIVERSITY the Graduate School Certificate for Approving The MIAMI UNIVERSITY The Graduate School Certificate for Approving the Dissertation We hereby approve the Dissertation of Mark S. Keida Candidate for the Degree: Doctor of Philosophy ________________________________________________ Director John M. Rothgeb, Jr. ________________________________________________ Reader Walter Vanderbush ________________________________________________ Reader Sheila Croucher ________________________________________________ Graduate School Representative Stephen Norris ABSTRACT GLOBALIZING SOLIDARITY: EXPLAINING DIFFERENCES IN U.S. LABOR UNION TRANSNATIONALISM By Mark S. Keida The purpose of this research is to explain differences in the transnational organizing strategies of U.S. trade unions. Of particular interest is the degree to which economic globalization (e.g., import competition, foreign direct investment, and multinationalization) influences the nature, scope, and priority U.S. labor unions assign to transnational organizing strategies. Toward this end, this research compares the transnational strategies of three U.S. labor unions — the United Steelworkers of America (USW), the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) — each of which represents a distinct sector of U.S. labor market (manufacturing, service, and professional) and experiences a different level and type of exposure to economic globalization (high, moderate, and low). Using an updated theory of labor transnationalism and primary source data, this study finds that transnational organizing strategies are highly correlated with exposure to economic globalization, particularly multinationalization in a union’s core industries. At the same time, in cases where exposure to economic globalization is low, transnational strategies are better explained through intra-organizational dynamics, such as leadership ideology, membership interests, and union size. In the main, this study suggests that in order to explain differences in transnational organizing strategies, one must consider both the level and type of exposure to economic globalization, as well as organizational dynamics in cases where exposure is minimal. GLOBALIZING SOLIDARITY: EXPLAINING DIFFERENCES IN U.S. LABOR UNION TRANSNATIONALISM A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Political Science by Mark S. Keida Miami University Oxford, OH 2006 Dissertation Director: John M. Rothgeb, Jr. © Mark S. Keida 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: The Study of Labor Transnationalism.............................................................1 Introduction: On the Decline of the U.S. Labor Movement ........................................1 Literature Review: Organized Labor in the Global.....................................................6 Normative/Prescriptive Approaches: Labor Transnationalism, Good or Bad?.......6 Empirical/Descriptive Approaches: Sites of Labor Internationalism.....................9 Analytic/Explanatory: Why Transnational Labor, Why Now?............................11 Summary: On the Vices of “Cosmopolitan” Analysis.........................................15 Theory: Situating American Labor Transnationalism...............................................16 The Economic Globalization Approach to Labor Union Transnationalism .........17 Political Opportunities and Resource Mobilization as Determinants of Labor Union Transnationalism.....................................................................................22 Toward a Theory of Labor Union Transnationalism...........................................26 Research Design and Methodology..........................................................................27 Research Question .............................................................................................27 Operationalized Variables..................................................................................27 Hypotheses ........................................................................................................29 Cases .................................................................................................................30 Data Collection/Interviews.................................................................................31 Chapter Outlines................................................................................................34 Chapter 2: U.S. Labor Transnationalism in Historical Perspective .................................35 Introduction.............................................................................................................35 The Early Years of the U.S. Labor Movement: 1900-1955.......................................36 The Cold War Years: 1945-1989 .............................................................................44 Situating International Affairs............................................................................44 Bilateral Activism: The AFL-CIO’s Foreign Institutes.......................................46 Multilateralism: The ILO and ICFTU ................................................................54 The Assault on Organized Labor..............................................................................58 Whither Organized Labor? ......................................................................................65 Chapter 3: The United Steelworkers’ of America (USW) ..............................................70 Introduction.............................................................................................................70 iii A Brief History of Steel Organizing and the USW...................................................70 The USW Today: Key Sectors, Job Trends, and Globalization.................................75 The Domestic Arena: Toward Competitive Manufacturing ......................................78 What do they want? ...........................................................................................78 Free Trade .........................................................................................................79 Benefits: Heath Care and Social Security...........................................................81 Workers’ Rights.................................................................................................82 The Transnational Arena: Global Employers and Global Unions .............................83 Global Union Councils/Networks ......................................................................84 The ICEM/Rio Tinto Global Union Council (1998) ...........................................86 Goodyear/Bridgestone Global Councils (1999, 2000) ........................................87 IMF/Alcoa Global Company Council (2003) .....................................................89 ExxonMobil & Sappi Global Councils (2003/2005)...........................................91 Strategic Alliances.............................................................................................93 Analysis ..................................................................................................................94 Chapter 4: The Service Employees International Union (SEIU).....................................97 Introduction.............................................................................................................97 A Brief History of the SEIU ....................................................................................98 The SEIU Today: Sectors, Jobs Picture, and Globalization ....................................103 The Domestic Arena: From Job Security to Life Security ......................................106 What Do They Want? ......................................................................................106 Immigration Reform ........................................................................................107 Wages and Working Conditions.......................................................................109 The Transnational Arena: Raising Standards in the U.S. and Abroad .....................112 Focus on Group 4 Securicor.............................................................................113 Driving Up Standards/London Cleaners’ Campaigns .......................................115 The Clean Start Campaign ...............................................................................117 Women’s Rights ..............................................................................................119 Direct Solidarity Actions .................................................................................120 Analysis ................................................................................................................121 The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) ..............................................................124 iv Introduction...........................................................................................................124 A Brief History of the AFT....................................................................................125 The AFT Today: Key Sectors, Job Trends, and Exposure to Globalization.............128 The Domestic Arena: Keeping the Public Sphere Public (and Unionized)..............132 What do they want? .........................................................................................132 NCLB (No Child Left Behind).........................................................................132 Vouchers and Charter Schools .........................................................................134
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