Rekindling the Movement: Labor's Quest for Relevance in the 21st Century (Frank W. Pierce Memorial Lectureship and Conference Series) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0801487129 ISBN 13: 9780801487125

Publisher: ILR Press, 2001

Synopsis

From gloomy times in the 1980s, the American labor movement has returned to apparent prominence through the efforts of a new generation of energetic and progressive leaders.

A distinguished group of authors examines this resurgence and the potential of American unions with sympathetic yet critical eyes. Experts from a wide variety of disciplines―industrial relations, political science, economics, and sociology―identify the central developments, analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the new initiatives, and assess the progress made and the prospects for the future. Though all agree on the importance of unions, their opinions of the success of current renewal efforts diverge greatly.

The interdisciplinary and comparative approach of Rekindling the Movement is both challenging and enlightening. Rather than merely trumpeting pet opinions, contributors provide hard evidence and causal analysis, grounded in realistic perspectives, to back up suggestions for the improvement of the new labor movement. Their straightforward observations about what is and is not possible, what does and does not work, will be of great practical value for policymakers and union leaders.

About this title

About the Author:

Lowell Turner, Harry Katz, and Richard Hurd are Professors in the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. Turner's many books include Fighting for Partnership and Democracy at Work, both from Cornell. Harry C. Katz is Dean of the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, where he is Jack Sheinkman Professor of Collective Bargaining. He is the author of several books and the editor of Telecommunications: Restructuring Work and Employment Relations Worldwide, also from Cornell. Hurd is Director of the Labor Studies Program and coeditor of two books from Cornell, including Organizing to Win.

From Library Journal:

Edited by Turner, Harry C. Katz, and Richard W. Hurd from the New York School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, this is a brilliant follow-up to the 1998 anthology, Organizing To Win: New Research on Union Strategies (Cornell Univ.). It addresses the problems, prospects, and alternatives facing U.S. labor unions as they make the transition from the industrial union model of the 20th century to accommodate a workforce that is more diverse, multicultural, and transnational. The most interesting sections of this book eloquently discuss the revival of the U.S. labor movement, its transformation to social movement unionism, lessons learned from attempts to organize immigrant and previously underserved workers, the obstacles facing union leaders, the effects of previous union mergers, and the political, social, cultural, and economic challenges that face unions as they attempt to survive in a rapidly evolving business and economic environment. With essays by writers from diverse disciplines, this book is essential for both labor and business leaders who are challenged to understand and accommodate the needs of a rapidly changing and diverse workforce. Highly recommended for both academic and public libraries. Norman B. Hutcherson, California State Univ., Bakersfield
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: ILR Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0801487129
• ISBN 13: 9780801487125
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 416
• Editor: Turner Lowell, Katz Harry C., Hurd Richard W.