Labour Unions

Choice Magazine has featured several books on the topic of unions and negotiations in the April 2011 edition of its publication.

We have listed them here along with the associated review. Of the 13 books featured in CHOICE, Western Libraries has 12 in its collection.

Below the CHOICE selections we have included other books available in Western Libraries as well.

From CHOICE:

Aidt, Toke.  Unions and collective bargaining: economic effects in a global environment, by Toke Aidt and Zafiris Tzannatos.  World Bank, 2002.

Aidt and Tzannatos provide a succinct but in-depth summary of the state of theory and research on the economic effects of collective bargaining. These effects are categorized by two questions:  "what is the impact on the economic well-being of individual workers and the performance of firms of basing industrial relations on collective bargaining ... and what is the impact on the macroeconomy of adopting different institutional approaches to collective bargaining?"  A particular strength of the book is its consistent emphasis on making comparisons to findings across countries.  The authors' detailed investigation reveals that the microeconomic and macroeconomic impacts differ widely by country, by industry, and by demographic group.  Little here will be new to scholars of industrial relations; for them, the benefit is having access to a single source for recent studies.  For those new to the field, this volume is an excellent summary of the theoretical and empirical issues and of the findings of a large number of studies.  Summing Up:  Highly recommended.  Public and academic library collections, lower-division undergraduate and up. -- D. A. Coffin, Indiana University Northwest

 

American labor unions in the electoral arena, by Herbert B. Asher et al. 

The labor movement has been a relatively important player in US politics since the early part of the 20th century.  However, with the steady decline of union membership over the last 25 years, questions have been raised about the current and future effectiveness of union political activities.  These questions are addressed in this concise and well-written volume.  The authors draw on extensive longitudinal survey data of Ohio union members' attitudes toward their unions in general and toward their unions' political activity in particular.  They also use the results of national surveys and interviews conducted with union members and leaders in Ohio and beyond.  The result is an empirically grounded book that provides many useful insights into labor's political past and its potential for the future.  Highly recommended for academic social science and business collections, lower-division undergraduate through faculty. -- P. F. Clark, Pennsylvania State University, University Park Campus

 

 

Chaison, Gary.  Unions in America.

Chapters in this excellent primer for understanding the background and current challenges facing the US labor movement focus on the historical background, the structure and growth of unions, union government and administration, collective bargaining, political action, and the labor movement's future in a dramatically transformed economy.  Chaison (industrial relations, Clark Univ.) exposes many of the contradictions in a complex institutional structure that represents millions of working people in a rapidly changing society.  For instance, unions profess to organize, but are reluctant to commit resources; they project an adversarial role, but understand that their success needs healthy employers; and they promise to fight, but loathe harmful strikes. Especially useful in this brief book are the discussions of unions' political activities and their prospects for revitalization.  Although unions profess important societal values, they are often seen as the problem.  Thus, campaigns for basic wage and hour laws, for fair trade, and against employers who flaunt community values (like Wal-Mart) often fail to resonate among hard-pressed working people.  While some may quibble with the proposals suggested for labor's resurgence, there is much grist to mill for those who think that revitalizing unions is essential for a just society.  Summing Up:  Recommended. General and undergraduate libraries. -- K. Fones-Wolf, West Virginia University

 

 

Collective bargaining in the public sector: the experience of eight states, ed. by Joyce M. Najita and James L. Stern.  M.E. Sharpe, 2001.
During the 1960s and 1970s collective bargaining emerged and took hold at all levels of government.  This phenomenon generated an outpouring of research and writing by scholars and practitioners.  By the late 1980s union-management relations had become a stable part of the governmental landscape, which led to a steep decline in the scholarly attention paid to this subject.  This volume offers a welcome and very useful update on the status of public sector collective bargaining in eight states:  California, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.  The theme uniting these eight states is that unions represented more than half of their state and local government employees in 1998, which dwarfs the level of unionization in the private sector.  Chapter authors are active and knowledgeable participants in their states' union-management systems.  Each chapter describes that state's labor relations legislation and its bargaining experience, with a particular focus on how contract negotiating disputes are resolved (by negotiations, third-party procedures such as mediation and arbitration, and work stoppages).  This book will appeal to industrial relations scholars from a variety of disciplines interested in a current portrait of public sector labor relations.  Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections. -- P. Feuille, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

 

 

Francia, Peter L.  The future of organized labor in American politics.

In this succinct and well-written book, Francia (East Carolina Univ.) analyzes the American labor movement's efforts to influence politics and legislation following the election of John Sweeney as AFL-CIO president in 1995.  The author argues that under Sweeney's leadership, organized labor has adopted a number of significant changes that have increased labor's effectiveness in the political arena.  He supports this conclusion with a well-documented discussion of the strategies labor has employed to reestablish itself as an important player in American politics--emphasizing member mobilization, grassroots advertising, more strategic targeting of campaign-related expenditures, and issue advocacy.  Francia also offers empirical evidence to support his contention that unions have experienced greater electoral success under Sweeney than under Lane Kirkland, his predecessor at the AFL-CIO.  The author concludes that there is reason for optimism among those who wish to see labor remain a strong political force.  This book is an excellent primer on the issue of organized labor's role in American politics. Summing Up:  Highly recommended.  Public, academic, lower-division undergraduate and up, and professional library collections. -- P. F. Clark, Pennsylvania State University, University Park Campus

 

 

Getman, Julius G.  Restoring the power of unions:  it takes a movement.

With the election of Barack Obama, American labor leaders believed that legal reform was imminent.  Obama supported the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which proposed card-check union certification, arbitration of impasses in negotiations, and stronger remedies for labor law violations.  EFCA's chances of enactment in the current political environment, however, are slim to none.  Based on his analysis of the labor movement, Getman (Univ. of Texas at Austin Law School) argues those changes in the law would not appreciably increase union density because the cause of union decline lies in large part with unions themselves.  Since his landmark study on union voting behavior in 1976, Getman has examined the effects of employer opposition to unions; he concludes that the law plays only a minor role in election outcomes.  Instead, effective union campaigns focus on building solidarity through participation and developing strategies for neutralizing employer campaigns against unions.  Getman advocates some changes in federal labor policy, such as forbidding employers from permanently replacing strikers, but his central theme is that unionism is a contest about hearts and minds, not legal formalities.  Getman speaks with experience and authority, and his book is a major contribution to the literature.  Summing Up:  Essential.  Public and academic library collections, lower-division undergraduate through faculty. -- R. L. Hogler, Colorado State University

 

 

Greenhouse, Steven.  The big squeeze:  tough times for the American worker. 

Greenhouse (labor correspondent, The New York Times) puts a face on the economic immiseration of the American working class, deftly weaving together statistical data with individual cases to create an excruciating picture of wage cuts, unaffordable health care, and disappearing pensions in the US.  The social contract that provided a measure of security and financial comfort for many Americans is being dismantled "brick by brick."  Labor unions, such as the United Auto Workers under Walter Reuther, laid the foundation for postwar prosperity, but unions have declined to their lowest levels of private-sector membership since 1901.  As a result, blue-collar jobs in service and manufacturing are exposed to the tightening vise of increased productivity and profitability, achieved by outsourcing and cuts in wages and benefits.  For younger Americans, college is increasingly unattainable, and many older workers lack adequate retirement income.  Greenhouse's comprehensive survey of the grim and deteriorating labor conditions in the US helps to explain the results of an April 2008 Gallup Poll in which 84 percent of respondents said that the US economy is "getting worse."  This book is essential reading for politicians, voters, and anyone with an interest in the country's future.  Summing Up:  Essential.  All labor studies collections. -- R. L. Hogler, Colorado State University

 

 

Hogler, Raymond.  Employment relations in the United States: law, policy, and practice. 

Hogler (Colorado State Univ.) concentrates more on the "law and policy" dimensions of employment relations than the "practice" noted in the subtitle.  His book also has a distinct historical orientation, tracing the development of public policy regulating through both collective bargaining and individual rights in the workplace.  About half the book deals with the last four decades of the American experience, covering the decline of collective bargaining and the expansion of substantive employment rights through legislation.  In addition to an exposition of federal labor policy, early chapters provide brief discussions of Workers' Compensation, Unemployment Insurance, and Fair Labor Standards legislation, while later chapters cover--in somewhat more depth--discrimination, workplace health and safety, pension protection, health insurance, and family leave.  There is also considerable discussion of the common-law doctrine of employment-at-will, leaving unjust discharge as the major remaining gap in the pattern of workplace protections that has been under construction in the modern era.  The historical material gives the treatment a sweep not found in most texts.  Hogler aims to illustrate the thesis that the US employment system is at some kind of "crossroads," although where the various roads lead is not entirely clear.  Extensive bibliographic material in the footnotes.  Summing Up:  Recommended.  Public; academic, upper-division undergraduate and up; and professional library collections. --

 

Lowenstein, Roger.  While America aged: how pension debts ruined General Motors, stopped the NYC subways, bankrupted San Diego, and loom as the next financial crisis.

This book excellently shows the dire consequences of pension plans that push the costs to future owners and taxpayers.  Properly structured pensions can secure a stable workforce, but Lowenstein (financial journalist; Origins of the Crash, 2004, and When Genius Failed, CH, Jan'01, 38-2845) asserts union demands escalated while irresponsible boards and city councils bought temporary labor peace at the expense of the future.  He reports how pensions and medical insurance ruined the once-great American automobile industry, and how corporations such as General Motors and governments such as those of New York City and San Diego were pressured by unions to promise pensions but without adequate funding.  From their power to strike as well as their political clout, city employees were able to obtain lavish pensions that perversely encouraged early retirement.  The author notes a similar syndrome is occurring with Medicare and Social Security, with underfunded liabilities.  Lowenstein recommends federal medical vouchers, retirement annuities, legal requirements to fully fund pension benefits, and an independent Social Security budget.  Another work on this theme is Steven Sass's The Promise of Private Pensions:  The First Hundred Years (1997). A timely book on a major policy issue.  Summing Up:  Highly recommended.  All collections and readership levels. -- F. E. Foldvary, Santa Clara University

 

 

Richards, Lawrence.  Union-free America: workers and antiunion culture.

Reading the works of most historians of American labor, one would barely suspect that workers could ever be hostile to labor unions.  Yet many of them have been, and Richards helps explain why.  He begins by examining America's persistent "antiunion" culture.  Unions have operated "under a cloud" since the beginning.  The cloud largely disappeared during the Great Depression, when unions were seen as the champions of the underdog and the industrial workforce stopped looking radical and alien.  After WW II, society's suspicions returned with images of overpaid, arrogant, undemocratic union leaders and unions' links to racketeering and protection of lazy, inefficient workers.  Unions became an anachronism in a meritocratic society.  Richards cites a wide range of sources, including representations in popular magazines and responses to public opinion polls in explaining the antiunion phenomenon.  He closes with three instructive case studies, examining failed organizing drives among workers in a Virginia textile factory and clerical workers at New York University, as well as the clash between the two leading teachers unions.  This work should help reorient the scholarship in a field that has been adrift.  Summing Up:  Recommended.  Labor studies collections at all levels. -- R. M. Whaples, Wake Forest University

 

 

Schiavone, Michael.  Unions in crisis?: the future of organized labor in America.

Schiavone (Flinders Univ., Australia) outlines problems that have led to the decline of unions in the US and proposes reforms to strengthen organized labor.  He argues that one reason for union decline has been business unionism--the focus only on improving union members' wages and working conditions.  Other reasons he cites for the decline include concession bargaining, globalization, hostile politicians, corruption, and changing demographics.  To strengthen unions, Schiavone embraces social justice unionism, which features union democracy, organizing the unorganized, militancy in collective bargaining, and alliances with social movements concerned with issues such as child care and living wages.  For example, worker centers help immigrants, minorities, and low-wage workers learn about their rights, legally represent them, advocate worker-friendly laws, and organize new unions.  The Change to Win federation, through unions such as the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the Teamsters, has focused more on organizing unions than the AFL-CIO.  The short book includes numerous academic references.  Richard Freeman, Peter Boxall, and Peter Haynes's What Workers Say:  Employee Voice in the Anglo-American Workplace (CH, Jan'08, 45-2708) provides a six-country comparison to further explain American union decline.  Summing Up:  Recommended.  Labor studies collections, upper-division undergraduate through professional. -- G.E. Kaupins, Boise State University

 

 

What do unions do?: a twenty-year perspective, ed. by James T. Bennett and Bruce E. Kaufman. 

Upon its publication in 1984, Richard Freeman and James Medoff's widely acclaimed What Do Unions Do? rewrote economists' understanding of the impact of labor unions.  The book under review, originally published as a six-part symposium in the Journal of Labor Research, reassesses Freeman and Medoff's book and the title question in light of two decades of additional data, experience, and perspective.  The contributors are among the field's most respected and well-published scholars.  Their 20 chapters approach the issue from a judicious, complementary combination of theoretical, empirical, institutional, international, and historical angles grappling with the impact of unions on wages, inequality, employee benefits, productivity, profitability, human resource management policies, conflict resolution, employee voice, job satisfaction, job turnover, macroeconomic performance, and politics.  Highlights include Barry Hirsch's chapter "What Do Unions Do for Economic Performance?"  It concludes that Freeman and Medoff's provocative thesis that unions substantially increase productivity "has not held up well."  Other highlights are Bruce Kaufman's chapter giving an overall assessment and commentary on the original volume and Richard Freeman's closing remarks--which concede little ground to critics.  This encyclopedic, balanced volume is a must for any collection on unions, labor studies, or labor economics.  Summing Up:  Essential.  All levels. -- R. M. Whaples, Wake Forest University

 

 

Yates, Michael D.  Why unions matter.  2nd ed. 

Yates (associate editor of Monthly Review) has produced a readable mini-text on a timely topic--labor unions.  He updates his first edition (CH, Jul'99, 36-6377) with discussions of the impact on unions of the electronic revolution, the global economy, the Bush administration, and economic troubles.  He contends unions still matter because they provide higher total rewards, a democratic voice of workers, and better understanding of legal and political rights.  Classic labor relations chapters cover why unions should exist; how unions form; union structures and democracy; collective bargaining strategies; politics; immigration; and discrimination concerning race, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.  Special attention is paid to the development of the Change to Win federation and its differences with the AFL-CIO.  The book also includes coverage of the United Farm Workers Union, labor history, the international labor movement, and Barack Obama's support of the Employee Free Choice Act.  An appendix contains useful Internet resources about labor unions.  James Bennett and Bruce Kaufman's What Do Unions Do?: A Twenty-Year Perspective (CH, Jun'07, 44-5749) provides a more academic and empirical perspective of the role of unions.  Summing Up:  Recommended.  Business and labor studies collections, lower-division undergraduate through professional. -- G. E. Kaupins, Boise State University

 

---

 

 

Union revitalisation in advanced economies : assessing the contribution of union organising edited by Gregor Gail.

Contemporary employment relations : a critical introduction Steve Williams and Derek Adam-Smith

Labour and the challenges of globalization : what prospects for transnational solidarity? edited by Andreas Bieler, Ingemar Lindberg and Devan Pillay

Trade union responses to globalization : a review by the Global Union Research Network edited by Verena Schmidt.

Labour, the state, social movements and the challenge of neo-liberal globalisation edited by Andrew Gamble ... [et al.].

Contemporary employment relations : a critical introduction Steve Williams and Derek Adam-Smith

Rationality at work : logics of collective action in the labour market Peter Michael Doralt

The globalizations of organized labour : 1945-2005 George Myconos

Trade unions of the world.

Employment relations in non-union firms [electronic resource] / Tony Dundon and Derek Rollinson.

Varieties of unionism : strategies for union revitalization in a globalizing economy edited by Carola Frege and John Kelly.

Unions in the 21st century : an international perspective edited by Anil Verma and Thomas A. Kochan