Myths and Fantasies in Discussing the End of Organized Labor: What Do We Mean When We Say There Is a Crisis of Labor Relations?

Abstract

In this chapter I will argue that questions of change are multi-dimensional, that trade unions have indeed developed innovative strategies in relation to them, and that a much deeper challenge is the question of how worker representatives cope with the breadth of changes within the workplace, labor market and the social context. I will start with a basic outline of this question of trade unionism, how its decline is to be understood, and how we need to think more positively about trade union engagement. I will end with a discussion on the deeper crisis of change within organized labor in relation to this issue of having to cope in the face of fragmentation and the multiple roles brought about by this change. The argument is that there is more an issue of overloaded agendas and problems of coping and managing the question of representation and rights. This has ramifications in terms of how conflict is managed and or developed: it means that a range of new conflicts and tensions around emerging social issues and new forms of exploitation at work are not always systematically addressed and engaged with. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)