Organizing to Win New Research on Union Strategies

At a time when the American labor movement is mobilizing for a major resurgence through new organizing, here, at last, is a book about research on union organizing strategies. Previous studies have focused on factors contributing to union decline, devoting little attention to the organizing process itself. The twenty chapters in this volume dramatically increase understanding of the range and effectiveness of new organizing strategies and their potential contribution to the revitalization of the labor movement.

The introduction defines the context of the current organizing climate. Major sections of the book cover strategic initiatives in union organizing, overcoming barriers to worker support for unions, community-based organizing, building membership and public support for organizing, and organizing initiatives by industry or by sector. Individual chapters focus on topics such as organizing outside the NLRB process, the role of clergy, local labor councils, and rank-and-file volunteer organizers.

Kate Bronfenbrenner is Director of Labor Education Research for the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. SHELDON FRIEDMAN is an economist with the AFL-CIO. Richard W. Hurd is Professor and Director, the Labor Studies Program, New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. Rudolph A. Oswald is former Director of Economic Research for the AFL-CIO. RONALD L. SEEBER is Associate Professor and Associate Dean, New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University.