Was Holding Out the Key to Success in Strikes? Massachusetts, 1881-1894

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/50961/1/187.pd

The Value of Union Sponsorship to Strikers.

Union sponsored strikes are more successful than informally organized strikes. This fact is generally interpreted as evidence that formal organization makes protest more effective. To test this interpretation's validity, a series of log linear models are used to estimate the relative importance of worker organization and background in 1,920 strikes started in Massachusetts manufacturing establishments between January 1, 1881 and June 30, 1894. Comparison of these models reveals that most of the difference in the success of formally and informally organized strikes can be attributed to differences in the positional and material resources strikers bring to the conflict. The models also demonstrate that formal organization helped some, but not all, workers win strikes. In particular, union sponsorship--especially sponsorship by unions regularly distributing strike aid--improved the yield of strikes in capital intensive industries and industries which were becoming more capital intensive. Union sponsorship also helped workers involved in proto-industrial strikes time their strikes to periods when the firms they faced were especially vulnerable. On the other h and , union sponsorship did not alleviate the difficulties which faced strikers employed in industries where women were being substituted for men, in communities where the skill mix of employment was low or in large factories. In short, unions helped workers in relatively strong positions, but did little for those in the weakest labor market positions. The results are interpreted as supporting the view (see Piven and Cloward) that formal advocacy organizations are only successful if the targets of their protest have a strong interest in negotiating with the organizations' constituents.Ph.D.Labor relationsUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/158078/1/8106120.pd

Association between Inpatient Delirium and Hospital Readmission in Patients ? 65 Years of Age: A Retrospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND:Delirium affects more than seven million hospitalized adults in the United States annually. However, its impact on postdischarge healthcare utilization remains unclear. OBJECTIVE:To determine the association between delirium and 30-day hospital readmission. DESIGN:A retrospective cohort study. SETTING:A general community medical and surgical hospital. PATIENTS:All adults who were at least 65 years old, without a history of delirium or alcohol-related delirium, and were hospitalized from September 2010 to March 2015. MEASUREMENTS:The patients deemed at risk for or displaying symptoms of delirium were screened by nurses using the Confusion Assessment Method with a followup by a staff psychiatrist for a subset of screen-positive patients. Patients with delirium confirmed by a staff psychiatrist were compared with those without delirium. The primary outcome was the 30-day readmission rate. The secondary outcomes included emergency department (ED) visits 30 days postdischarge, mortality during hospitalization and 30 days postdischarge, and discharge location. RESULTS:The cohort included 718 delirious patients and 7,927 nondelirious patients. Using an unweighted multivariable logistic regression, delirium was determined to be significantly associated with the increased odds of readmission within 30 days of discharge (odds ratio (OR): 2.60; 95% CI, 1.96-3.44; P < .0001). Delirium was also significantly (P < .0001) associated with ED visits within 30 days postdischarge (OR: 2.18; 95% CI: 1.77-2.69) and discharge to a facility (OR: 2.52; 95% CI: 2.09-3.01). CONCLUSIONS:Delirium is a significant predictor of hospital readmission, ED visits, and discharge to a location other than home. Delirious patients should be targeted to reduce postdischarge healthcare utilization