Labor-Management Cooperation

[Excerpt] In analyzing labor-management cooperation, it is important to be clear on what it is not. It is not an absence of strikes or conflict. Cooperation is not synonymous with industrial peace. Cooperation may take place even when bargaining leads to work stoppages; conversely, the mere absence of strikes is no evidence that there is labor-management cooperation. In the current period, there is a tendency to equate concessionary bargaining with labor-management cooperation. Demand for and acceptance of givebacks reflect economic pressures and relative bargaining strength and ought not to be interpreted as evidence of a cooperative relationship

Union-Management Cooperation: A Passing Fad or Permanent Change?

[Excerpt] Union-management cooperation is not a passing fad. It is not a new, or even a recent, development on the American labor relations scene. Nonetheless, interest in this subject has been growing. It is the purpose of this article, first, to clarify the meaning of union-management cooperation, indicating what it is and what it is not; second, to describe its history in the United States, going back to World War I; third, to explain the forces, both past and present, that have led to the development of union-management cooperation; fourth, to describe the various mechanisms employed to achieve this cooperation, including the levels of involvement and their scope; fifth, to set forth the necessary and sufficient conditions for successful union-management cooperation: and, finally, to discuss its future

The Route to the Top: Female Union Leaders and Union Policy

[Excerpt] Although women now constitute about one third of the members of labor unions in the United States, they are still barely visible in top leadership. To what extent are women currently making inroads in union leadership and what types of union responsibilities do they hold? Is there a glass ceiling? How do the career patterns of women unionists compare with those of men? What can unions do to facilitate their recognition? These are the key questions I examine in this article, drawing on past research supplemented by insights from union leaders I interviewed

Unions Implementing Managerial Techniques

[Excerpt] National unions are gradually adopting the sophisticated management selection and training practices of business and government but employment and promotion decisions remain essentially political

Women in Union Leadership Roles

[Excerpt] Progress has been slower at the policy making level, as illustrated by the report that in these same unions with 45% or more female membership, women hold less than 10% of .the executive board positions. While the percentages are higher in professional unions - for example, 32% in the American Federation of Teachers which has a 60% female membership - in almost all cases, representation on executive boards falls far below that of local membership. Few of the more than 90 AFL-CIO unions are headed by women: only the Association of Flight Attendants, which has a predominantly female membership, and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union and Actors\u27 Equity have women presidents. Women are rarely represented at the top. Is there a glass ceiling? Can women look up but not rise up? If so, why

Empire State\u27s Cultural Capital at Risk? Assessing Challenges to the Workforce and Educational Infrastructure of Arts and Entertainment in New York

New York State is a world center for the arts and entertainment industry and its vast and uniquely diversified workforce is its main competitive advantage. Commissioned by the New York Empire State Development Corporation, this report examines the strengths and the challenges facing this industry and its workforce in the state, providing an assessment of the education and training infrastructure that supports this vital industry, and identifying issues that offer a potential role for public and private policy

Of Republicans and Recessions: Why Does Big Business Vote for Them?

[Excerpt] The wild enthusiasm business gave Nixon\u27s new economic policy stems not only from a longstanding business preference for Republicans but a short-run expectation of profit windfalls. In a moment of economic crisis the President turned to business to clear up America\u27s problems. In fact, if the record of the last quarter-century is to be believed, not only will the nation\u27s trouble remain unsolved but business will not get the anticipated bonanza either. The politics of business is clearly Republican, but it is not so clear that the Republican Party is good for business

The Industry and the Unions: An Overview

[Excerpt] This overview chapter provides a framework for the chapters that follow by broadly describing the arts, entertainment, and electronic media (AEEM) industry and the problems confronting it. The overview is presented in four sections focused on: first, the economic structure of the industry; second, unions and bargaining structure; third, the impact of technological changes; and fourth, historical responses on the part of unions and the labor relations system to technological change

Broadening the Mission: Research Activity among University Labor Education/Labor Studies Professionals

[Excerpt] This study examines research activity among university and college labor education/labor studies professionals. Using data gathered in a survey of faculty employed in the field, the paper presents information concerning the extent and focus of these research activities, the methodologies employed, the outlets for the research products that result, and the factors limiting such work. The findings of this study indicate that research, of both an applied and scholarly nature, is an increasingly significant part of the work of labor education/labor studies professionals. The study concludes with a discussion of the implications this trend has for the labor education/labor studies field, with special attention being given to the role research activity can play in meeting the needs of unions, union members, and union leaders

Looking Ahead

[Excerpt] The American entertainment industry and its system of labor-management relations is now at a crossroads. Its future will be determined to a great extent by emerging developments that could either hinder or facilitate expansion, depending on the course of affairs approaching the year 2000. The key trends will converge to influence the course of collective bargaining in the industry and the choices made by unions and employers