The Transformation of US Unions

Voices, Visions, and Strategies from the Grassroots

edited by Ray M. Tillman and Michael S. Cummings

What's wrong with U.S. unions, and what could make it right? These are the questions addressed by nineteen partisans - union dissidents and noted scholars - union democracy. Agreeing that any long-term solutions must come from the grassroots of the union movement, they argue for the expansion rather than contraction, militancy rather than accomodation, and internal democracy rather than oligarchy. To break the strangle-hold of business, union, and government elites, they emphasize, ordinary workers must be energetically recruited and actively involved in the management of their unions.

Ray M. Tillman is president of the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 642.

Michael S. Cummings is chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Colorado at Denver.

Contents include:

• "A New Labor Movement in the Shell of the Old"
• "A Rising Tide of Union Democracy"
• "The New AFL-CIO: No Salvation from on High for the Working Stiff"
• "Labor: Turning the Corner Will Take More Than Mobilization"
• "Learning from the Past to Build the Future"
• "The Dynamics of Change"
• "Unsung Heroes of Union Democracy: Rank-and-File Organizers"
• "Reform Movement in the Teamsters and United Auto Workers
• "Hell on Wheels: Organizing Among New York City's Subway and Bus Workers"
• "The Local Union: A Rediscovered Frontier"
• "Restructuring Labor's Identity: The Justice for Janitors Campaign in Washington D.C."
• "Lessons from the UMWA"
• "Cross-Border Alliances in the Era of Globalization"
• "A Strategic Organizing Alliance Across Borders"
• "Union Democracy and Social Unionism"

What others are saying about The Transformation of U.S. Unions

"This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in understanding the current dynamics of the labor Movement."

— Mike Rhodes, Labor/Community Alliance

"This volume pulls together ideas from some of the finest critics/activists within labor. It is a refreshing collection that includes not only the old standards, but some of the new voices.... Good, clear, narrative packed full of lessons and information for the experienced activist, the scholar, or the student."

— Elaine Bernard, Harvard Trade Union Program

"The contributors to The Transformation of U.S. Unions have, for the most part, been active participants in union cleanup efforts.... They believe there's a crucial link between union strength and internal democracy ... and that organized labor's failure to permit a greater rank-and-file role in decisionmaking will prevent it from becoming an instrument of fundamental social change."

— Steve Early, The Nation