WHY UNIONS MATTER
WHAT ARE UNIONS? WHY SHOULD ANYONE JOIN ONE?
WHY DO EMPLOYERS OPPOSE THEM?
by Michael D. Yates
"When people asked me for a good, basic introduction to the labor movement I used to draw a blank. Well, here it is at last. Michael Yates' WHY UNIONS MATTER is a comprehensive, readable introduction to the history, structure, functioning, and yes, the problems of U.S. unions. For labor and political activists just coming on the scene or veterans looking for that missing overview, this is the place to start."
--KIM MOODY, author of Workers in a Lean World
The employers say that the only real effect of unions is to steal dues payments from workers' pockets. Why Unions Matter proves with irrefutable statistics and persuasive analysis that unionized workers in every part of the economy get more pay and better benefits than employees who do comparable work but do not belong to a union. Yet economic gains and job security are just the starting point for this informative book. It is just as significant, argues Michael Yates, that unions inspire power, solidarity, and dignity in workers, with great consequences for their lives. Why Unions Matter does not, however, make excuses for existing trade unions. Faced with a decades-long loss of membership, the union movement badly needs new approaches, argues Yates. Providing sound practical advice on many topics--like what makes a collective bargaining campaign effective, or what approach unions should take in electoral politics--Yates calls for a more independent, tough-minded, democratic, and politically progressive labor movement. Why Unions Matter is written in clear language with a solid grasp of labor history and the underlying economics of labor relations. This is an ideal reference work for anyone interested in finding out how unions work, and why they are getting more attention, both positive and negative, from the media and the government. With historical sidebars ranging from the Industrial Workers of the World to Cesar Chavez and a generous sprinkling of photos and cartoons, Why Unions Matter is a clear and simple introduction to the labor movement's purpose and promise.
MICHAEL D. YATES is professor of economics at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and a labor educator. He is the author of A Labor Law Handbook, Power on the Job, and Longer Hours, Fewer Jobs: Employment and Unemployment in the United States.
A Monthly Review Book ISBN: 0-85345-929-0 paper/S 17.00 ISBN: 0-85345-930-4 cloth/$44. 00 August/192 pp. labor studies/economics
Louis Proyect
(http://www.panix.com/~lnp3/marxism.html)