Greasing the Skids: How Corporate Elite Campaign Donations Shape State-Level Collective Bargaining Legislation By Anna W. Jacobs Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Vanderbilt University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Sociology May, 2017 Nashville, Tennessee Approved: Larry W. Isaac, Ph.D. Daniel B. Cornfield, Ph.D. Joshua Murray, Ph.D. G. William Domhoff, Ph.D. For the workers of the world— past, present, and future— who continue to resist, struggle, and inspire in the face of overwhelming odds under an oppressive state. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Introduction Like most things in my life, the accomplishment of writing a dissertation, successfully defending it, and earning a PhD is not an individual one. Sure, I applied to the graduate schools, completed the coursework, took the exams, collected the data, and wrote this dissertation sitting before you, but the process is, and always has been, a collaborative effort. I would not have completed this momentous achievement if it had not been for the support of all of those around me. I want to thank each and every one of you, and dammit, I will do just that, even if it takes a hundred pages. I have chosen to break down this acknowledgement section as follows: (1) Academia (broken up by institution), (2) Data and Funding Sources, (3) Friends (organized sort of chronologically), and (4) Family. Obviously, these are not mutually exclusive categories (most academics are friends, some family members are academics, and a few family members are even friends), but I did my best. One more thing before I thank all of the people in my life. I need to acknowledge my higher power, whom I choose to call god (mostly because that is shorter to write). Academics tend to scoff at those who believe in god (or HPs of any kind), but that is no reason to shy away from how mine has worked in my life. Without the grace of god, I probably would not be alive today, and I certainly would not have the ability to complete a PhD. I am truly grateful for the presence of god in my life today. “Grace, we all know, will take the place of what we owe.” Okay, onward… Academia Vanderbilt I would like to start by thanking my dissertation chair and mentor, Larry W. Isaac. Larry is my academic role model, in every sense of the word (research, writing, teaching, advising). Since my first day at Vanderbilt, he has provided me with kind encouragement, practical advice, theoretical guidance, and even sharp criticism when needed. Throughout writing this dissertation, he has pushed me to clarify both my thinking and my writing, and always reminding me that historical context matters! He has made me believe that I belong in the department, the discipline, and academia as a whole. I am forever grateful for his mentorship and friendship. I am also grateful to his wife Judy Isaac for her kindness and generosity over the years—for throwing the best parties, for being a gracious host, and always making sure that I am well-fed. I would also like to thank the other members of my dissertation committee: Dan Cornfield, Josh Murray, and Bill Domhoff. I am extremely grateful to Dan Cornfield, whose knowledge of labor and class relations in the US has impacted my research interests forever. Dan has been a wonderful mentor from my first day at VU. I have never left his office without feeling inspired, accompanied by several pages of quickly-written notes about directions for future research. Dan has also taught me a lot about the writing and publishing process, always pushing me to find my home literature. Finally, I am grateful to Dan for the opportunity to serve on the Work and Occupations editorial board, a job I have truly cherished. I have learned so much as part of the WO team, and I will miss it when I move on. I also need to thank Josh Murray. Josh has spent countless hours helping me hammer out the details of my dissertation on both the theoretical and iii methodological planes, given great advice about the job market (“Just get them to talk about themselves!”), helped me construct and perfect my syllabi, and of course, entertained me with lengthy discussions about baseball. The amount of effort and time Josh has placed into my work is especially meaningful considering he has done all of this pre-tenure and on leave. He could have easily said he was too busy, or that he had to focus on his tenure case, but he never did. Every time I have knocked on his office door he has selflessly invited me to come in, sit, and chat. Lastly, I am deeply indebted to Bill Domhoff, who, having only met me once, kindly agreed to be my outside committee member. Bill’s work largely inspired the research addressed in this dissertation, and I am incredibly grateful for his tireless feedback, job market advice, and great sense of humor. Although he was not on my committee officially, I would also like to thank my mentor and friend, Professor André Christie-Mizell. He has been one of the most inspiring professors I have ever had, one of my strongest advocates, and a trusted confidante during my time at Vanderbilt. I am so grateful to have had the chance to take his classes, to work with him on research, and to know him. I am also grateful to Professor Holly McCammon, who gave me thoughtful and practical advice on how to use undergraduate research assistants and how to code legal documents. In addition, I was profoundly affected by her earlier work on the Wagner Act and subsequent legal adjustments to US labor law. I am not sure if she knows it, but her research is hugely responsible for my interest in work and labor today. I would also like to thank the Directors of Graduate Studies here, Richard Pitt and Mariano Sana. I am grateful for Dr. Sana for accepting me into the Sociology Program with funding. I am grateful to Dr. Pitt (who took over as DGS my first year) for advice on my fellowship applications, for helpful feedback on my PowerPoint aesthetic, for pushing me to work hard, and for putting up with my tendency to push against the grain, as he wrote in my first-year review. Thank you also to the amazing staff at Vanderbilt Sociology. Anne Wall has been amazing since my first day, from important administrative tasks such as helping with the payroll of my research team, to remembering what my favorite kind of tea is, to always checking in on me to make sure I am doing okay. She also knows more than anyone I know about plants, and I am so grateful she helped me save my aunt’s violets before I overwatered them all. Pam Tichenor has also been amazing; from her help on Work and Occupations to keeping my letter-writers in line, to providing much-needed comic relief in the front office. I am also grateful to Maria Miller, whom we miss a lot at Vanderbilt Sociology. She kept our website running, helped with brown bag preparations, and coordinated meetings with speakers. Thanks also to Patrick Bembry for helping me get the NSF budget figured out, and Marion Pratt for her help in reviewing and editing my NSF application. Next, I would like to thank my amazing research team that has helped me collect and code the data used in this dissertation. Thank you to Rachel McKane, who was a great leader of the coding team, is a dear friend, and a wonderful leftist. Thank you also to Karlia Brown, Yalun Feng, Grace Gonzalez, Lauren Johnson, Ashley Shan, Raven Thompson, and Kristi Weber, the undergraduate research team. Without your help, these data would have been nearly impossible to collect and code. iv I would also like to thank my colleagues and friends from Vanderbilt. You have all been so supportive to me, and I am grateful to each one of you. I am especially grateful to my cohort members. Thank you, Stacey Houston, for always being a kind and supportive cohort member, and for sticking with the program. Thank you, Brittany Hearne. You are one of the smartest, bravest, and most determined people I know. Your steadfast friendship, selfless hospitality, and kind soul have been some of the bright spots of my four years at Vanderbilt. I cannot wait to see where life takes you and Benji. Thank you to Ashleigh Hope, whose friendship, faith, guidance, and amazing sense of humor has meant the world to me these past few years. I am so glad we are friends, and I am so excited to meet the Little Bean! Thank you to Cathryn Lynch, a remarkably strong, intelligent, and courageous feminist and human being. I am so grateful for your friendship and your crafting skills. Thank you also to my wonderful coauthors and colleagues, Bhumika Piya, Allison McGrath, Jonathan Coley and Quan Mai. Florida State University There are also people from my time at Florida State University that helped me get to where I am today. I am extremely grateful to my Masters Chair and mentor Irene Padavic, whose feedback, though painful at times to read, has helped me become a better writer (I think). I hope she is not reading this, as I am sure passive voice is slipped into quite a bit, and I am prone to occasionally use split infinitives. Thank you to Dan Tope, who was willing to see me through if I chose to stay at FSU, who wrote great letters to help me get into Vanderbilt, and who has been an amazing sounding board and friend to me and to my family.