New book: "Why Unions Matter"

Mike Yates mikey+ at pitt.edu
Sat Sep 19 07:55:25 PDT 1998


Louis,

Thanks for the plug. If anyone on the list is interested in reviewing the book, let me know and I'll get him or her a copy.

michael yates

Louis Proyect wrote:
>
> 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
> and Longer Hours, Fewer Jobs: Employment and Unemployment in the United
> States.
>
> (He is also a subscriber to this mailing list)
>
> 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)
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