A New American Labor Movement: The Decline of Collective Bargaining and the Rise of Direct Action

By William E Scheuerman and William E. Scheuerman

Book Overview

Describes how new kinds of direct-action labor movements are emerging to reshape American labor activism in the twenty-first century.

The American labor movement isn't dead. It's just moving from the bargaining table to the streets. In A New American Labor Movement, William Scheuerman analyzes how the decline of unions and the emergence of these new direct-action movements are reshaping the American labor movement. Tens of thousands of exploited workers-from farm laborers and gig drivers to freelance artists and restaurant workers-have taken to the streets in a collective attempt to attain a living wage and decent working conditions, with or without the help of unions. This new worker militancy, expressed through mass demonstrations, strikes, sit-ins, political action, and similar activities, has already achieved much success and offers models for workers to exercise their power in the twenty-first century. Finally, Scheuerman notes, many of the strategies of the new direct-action groups share features with the sectoral bargaining model that dominates the European labor movement, suggesting that sectoral bargaining may become the foundation of a new American labor movement.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1438485484
• ISBN13: 9781438485485
• Release Date: July 2022
• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Length: 276 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher