Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Introduction by Lynn R. Williams
- 1 A Future for the American Labor Movement?
- 2 Industrial Relations in a Time of Change
- 3 A Survey of American Union Strategies
- 4 The Old Reformist Unionism: The Noble Order of the Knights of Labor
- 5 The New Reformist Unionism: CAFE
- 6 A New Version of an Old Reformist Strategy: Employee Ownership
- 7 Social Democratic Unionism in Action: Strategies of European Trade Unions
- 8 A New Twist and TURN on Social Democratic Unionism: Unions and Regional Economic Development
- 9 A Labor Movement for the Twenty-First Century
- Appendix: Interview with John J. Sweeney, President, AFL-CIO
- References
- Index
3 - A Survey of American Union Strategies
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 July 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Introduction by Lynn R. Williams
- 1 A Future for the American Labor Movement?
- 2 Industrial Relations in a Time of Change
- 3 A Survey of American Union Strategies
- 4 The Old Reformist Unionism: The Noble Order of the Knights of Labor
- 5 The New Reformist Unionism: CAFE
- 6 A New Version of an Old Reformist Strategy: Employee Ownership
- 7 Social Democratic Unionism in Action: Strategies of European Trade Unions
- 8 A New Twist and TURN on Social Democratic Unionism: Unions and Regional Economic Development
- 9 A Labor Movement for the Twenty-First Century
- Appendix: Interview with John J. Sweeney, President, AFL-CIO
- References
- Index
Summary
The ground-work principle of America's labor movement has been to recognize that first things must come first. The primary essential in our mission has been the protection of the wage-worker, now; to increase his wages; to cut hours off the long workday, which was killing him; to improve the safety and the sanitary conditions of the work-shop; to free him from the tyrannies, petty or otherwise, which served to make his existence a slavery. These, in the nature of things, I repeat, were and are the primary objects of trade unionism.
Samuel Gompers, President, American Federation of Labor, 1911For over two centuries the American labor movement has demonstrated an impressive degree of creativity and flexibility in dealing with its many problems. Among national labor movements, American labor has often led the way in trying out new ideas and strategies, and there is extensive literature documenting this. The writings about American labor union behaviors that are aimed at ensuring their survival can be conveniently broken down into two categories: (1) descriptions of, and prescriptions for, broad strategic directions for American labor; and (2) descriptions of, and prescriptions for, specific tactical responses to the challenges that they face.
AMERICAN UNION STRATEGIES FOR SURVIVAL
Although American unions have taken a variety of forms, the predominant one throughout their history has been that of Pure and Simple Unionism. This type of unionism has come in many guises.
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- The Future of the American Labor Movement , pp. 49 - 84Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2002