Steelworkers Rank-and-File: The Political Economy of a Union Reform Movement

(Hardback)

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Assesses the prospects for union reform and the future fo unions themselves in declining industries in the U.S.

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Steelworkers Rank-and-File is one of the most informative and creative attmepts yet offered to explain union reform movements in the United States. By focusing on industry trends and intraunion politics, Philip Nyden traces the rise and decline of steelworker insurgency from the 1930s to the present.... Nyden does a fine job incorporating field research into his historical analysis of political and economic factors shaping social movements. Over 120 interviews with rank-and-file activists enrich his argument about constraints on union reform activity.... The picture of the steel industry that Nyden presents is well drawn, with careful attention to the impact of specific industry trends on labor insurgency. Steel company diversification, technological innovation, and plant closures are among the major factors that weaken the steelworkers' reform movement. Changes such as these enhance management control and embolden employers to pressure unions for concessions and greater cooperation. The analysis of industrial decline as it affects rank-and-file activity is especially valuable.... An insighful study, with a useful multidimensional approach to social movements and organizations as they are influenced by political and economic environments.-American Journal Sociology
"Steelworkers Rank-and-File is one of the most informative and creative attmepts yet offered to explain union reform movements in the United States. By focusing on industry trends and intraunion politics, Philip Nyden traces the rise and decline of steelworker insurgency from the 1930s to the present.... Nyden does a fine job incorporating field research into his historical analysis of political and economic factors shaping social movements. Over 120 interviews with rank-and-file activists enrich his argument about constraints on union reform activity.... The picture of the steel industry that Nyden presents is well drawn, with careful attention to the impact of specific industry trends on labor insurgency. Steel company diversification, technological innovation, and plant closures are among the major factors that weaken the steelworkers' reform movement. Changes such as these enhance management control and embolden employers to pressure unions for concessions and greater cooperation. The analysis of industrial decline as it affects rank-and-file activity is especially valuable.... An insighful study, with a useful multidimensional approach to social movements and organizations as they are influenced by political and economic environments."-American Journal Sociology

Author Bio

den /f Philip /i W.