What Workers Want (Copublished With Russell Sage Foundation) - Softcover

Freeman, Richard B.; Rogers, Joel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 080147325X ISBN 13: 9780801473258

Publisher: ILR Press, 2006

Synopsis

Praise for the first edition:
"This very valuable book reports the results of a large-scale and complex survey aimed at understanding the preferences of employees regarding workplace governance and their attitudes toward the three key institutions in the labor market: unions, government, and firms.... The findings are... sophisticated and convincing.... This is a terrifically useful book that contains a wealth of information."―Labor History

"What Workers Want is one of the most ambitious efforts ever undertaken to determine the attitudes of employees about the American workplace.... An extremely important contribution to the long and often heated debates that swirl around these issues."―Ralph Nader, Public Citizen News

"What Workers Want is a sharply focused study of how American workers think about workplace participation. This book is a message about workplace democracy that union leaders would do well to build into their organizing strategies."―Dissent

"This is easily one of the most readable books on industrial relations matters written by academics in recent times. The authors are able simultaneously to engage the reader in an almost folksy manner, while also being quite rigorous in their presentation of data. There should be more such books."―The Journal of Industrial Relations

How would a typical American workplace be structured if the employees could design it? According to Richard B. Freeman and Joel Rogers, it would be an organization run jointly by employees and their supervisors, one where disputes between labor and management would be resolved through independent arbitration. Their groundbreaking book provides a comprehensive account of employees' attitudes about participation, representation, and regulation on the job. For this edition, the authors have added an introduction showing how recent data have confirmed and strengthened their basic argument. A new concluding chapter lays out the model of "open source unionism" that they propose for rebuilding unionism in the United States, making this updated edition essential for anyone thinking about what labor should be doing to move forward.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"This book provides a wealth of new data and new ideas concerning worker attitudes towards unions and management. It is a sure bet to be the focus of much future debate in both academic and public policy circles."--Harry Katz, Cornell University

"This challenging volume reports on answers to fundamental questions--what do workers want and what do they think; what forms of participation and representation do they seek? These responses from individual workers need to be read and reflected upon by every supervisor or manager, labor union representative, and government officer concerned with the American workplace. The country's future depends on it."--John T. Dunlop, Former Secretary of Labor

"Past efforts to reform labor law failed in part because the voice of the workforce was missing. By summarizing what workers have to say, What Workers Want opens a new era of debate with a fresh approach. Let's hope policymakers are listening."--Thomas A. Kochan, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

"One of the most frequently asked questions in economic life is: ‘How do you feel about your job?’ or ‘How do workers feel about their work?’ Either question is most often answered by casual, second-hand, or purely anecdotal information. But not here. Using meticulously planned research, the authors tell in careful detail how workers really feel and what they want. And all the writing is in clear, non-technical English, with an occasional amused comment and the relevant quantitative support. This is a strong recommendation; I’ve never thought one better justified." --John Kenneth Galbraith, Harvard University

About the Author:

Richard B. Freeman holds the Herbert Ascherman Chair in Economics at Harvard University. He is also director of the Labor Studies Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research, codirector of the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School, and a visiting professor at the London School of Economics. Joel Rogers is Professor of Law, Political Science, and Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a contributing editor of The Nation and Boston Review and the director of COWS and the John R. Commons Center.

About this edition

• Publisher: ILR Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 080147325X
• ISBN 13: 9780801473258
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256