Trade Unions in Renewal

This comprehensive survey of continuity and change in trade unions looks at five primarily English-speaking countries: the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. The authors consider the recent re-examination by trade union movements of the basis of union organization and activity in the face of a harsher economic and political climate. One of the impetuses for this re-examination has been the recent history of unions in the USA. American models of renewal have inspired Australia, New Zealand and the UK, while Canada has undergone a cautious examination of the US model with an attempt to develop a distinctive approach. This book aims to provide a thorough grounding for informed discussion and debate about the position and place of trade unions in modern economies.

Peter Fairbrother, Charlotte A. B. Yates,

Chapter 1 Unions in Crisis, Unions in Renewal?, Peter Fairbrother, Charlotte A. B. Yates; Chapter 2 The American Labour Movement and the Resurgence in Union Organizing, Kate Bronfenbrenner; Chapter 3 You Just Can't Do It Automatically: The Transition to Social Movement Unionism in the United States, Kim Voss, Rachel Sherman; Chapter 4 Trade Union Innovation, Adaptation and Renewal in Australia: Still Searching for the Holy Membership Grail, Gerard Griffin, Rai Small, Stuart Svensen; Chapter 5 A Near Death Experience: One Union Fights for Life, Belinda Probert, Peter Ewer; Chapter 6 From Organizational Breadth to Depth? New Zealand's Trade Unions under the Employment Contracts Act, Pat Walsh, Aaron Crawford; Chapter 7 A Story of Crisis and Change: The Service and Food Workers Union of Aotearoa, Sarah Oxenbridge; Chapter 8 The Dilemmas of Social Partnership and Union Organization: Questions for British Trade Unions, Peter Fairbrother, Paul Stewart; Chapter 9 Rhetoric and Reality: The Adoption of the Organizing Model in Manufacturing, Science and Finance, Bob Carter; Chapter 10 Strategic Dilemma: The State of Union Renewal in Canada, Pradeep Kumar, Gregor Murray; Chapter 11 The Revival of Industrial Unions in Canada: The Extension and Adaptation of Industrial Union Practices to the New Economy, Charlotte A. B. Yates; Chapter 12 Social Movement Unionism: Beyond the Organizing Model, Christopher Schenk; Chapter 13 Globalization, Trade Union Organization and Workers' Rights, Huw Beynon;