[.ca] The Transformation of U.S. Unions: Voices, Visions, and ... (ISBN 155587813X)

Brings balance to the "new" labor movement:
Ever since John Sweeney declared that organizing is labor's top priority, numerous books have appeared that describe union strategies in organizing including mobilizing the rank-and-file. But the authors in this book would find that the top-down and staff directed nature of those efforts only minimally overlap with rank-and-file democracy. They feel that actual rank-and-file empowerment within union processes is the only way for the labor movement to regain its former stature. But many questions do arise. None of the authors clearly differentiate between worker democracy within local unions and democracy over workplace affairs. The NLRA restriction to bargaining over wages and conditions has proven to be disastrous to working people. But labor activists and these authors seem to accept this limited role for unions. But that is hiring-hall unionism where jobs may last only a few weeks and larger company strategies are mostly irrelevant. Most working people are firm-located and need to have input to company plans regarding investment, marketing, products, plant closings and locations, etc. If that is company unionism, so be it. Also, the authors point to a nebulous concept of social unionism as a desired path for unions. The fact of the matter is that in the past larger community support for unions was because working people at one time lived in highly localized ethnic, urban communities or small company oriented towns. Many of those communites no longer exist. The authors have confused unions with a political party that is devoted to the social interests of the entire working class. National unions in the U.S. are really very narrowly focused businesses: they collect dues, actively try to increase membership, and provide bargaining and contract administrative services. And are very concerned with survival for their own sake. Since the authors have made rank-and-file democracy their central concern, it is a shortcoming of the book that no comparative analysis of the industrial relations system of a northern European country where workers have legislated co-determination rights was included . The bottom line for this book is that it is well worth reading. It is not a rubber stamp of Sweeney policy. But this book leaves plenty of room for considering what the structure and policies of unions should be for the coming century that will enhance and protect the economic lives of working people.

A book for the "rank-and-file":
It's about time a book is out that provides a view from the wokers themselves. It was refreshing to hear from the "rank-and-file" that unionism is the way American must go if there is going to be a working-class view of America. But most important was the underlying view that the American Labor Movement needs internal democracy if is going to survive in the future. I recommend this book to any union member that has felt alientated by the union leadership. It's time that the leaders think of the memberhsip and not themselves.