Dispatches From The Shop Floor

October 2004 - January 2005

In the October 2004 Labor Notes, labor educator Charley Richardson wrote that many union leaders tend to ignore the shop floor, instead focusing on contract bargaining and enforcement.

Said Richardson, "Failure by unions to take action on work restructuring and technological change means surrendering core sources of union strength that allow workers to exert power and feel solidarity in the course of their working day."

To begin addressing the neglect of the workplace, Labor Notes ran a series of "shop floor dispatches," reports from workers on how restructuring, reorganization, and new technologies have altered their workplaces.

Labor Notes hopes these shop floor dispatches will initiate a renewed focus on the workplace, and we look forward to responses from our readers.

October 2004