Slaughter's article was great. The Nation's recent editorial on "Open Source Unionism," a type of unionism in which workers would be able to join unions in advance of, or despite, workplace NLRB elections, is something that should be filed in the "What could be done?" folder as well. A piece by Richard B. Freeman and Joel Rogers in the Working USA journal explains:
"In contrast to the current union movement, based almost exclusively on workers in majority-member collective bargaining arrangements with employers, open source unionism would also include groups of workers who want union representation and advice but who fall shy of a majority at their workplace.
[...]
"In most cases, such nonmajority members and formations would be tied to and supported by one or another traditional union. But they could also take forms not contemplated by those unions - for example, along occupational or geographic lines rather than by employers." (from http://www.workingusa.org/2002sp/fulltext/osunionism.htm)
Brian
On Mon, 11 Nov 2002, Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:
> Labor Notes
>
> Organizing for Numbers -- Or For Power?
>
> by Jane Slaughter
>
> October 2002
>
> Why, seven years into the "new AFL-CIO," have organized labor's
> numbers continued to dwindle? Peter Olney, writing in New Labor
> Forum, notes that despite the national AFL-CIO's vigorous shaming,
> coaxing and cajoling of its affiliates, federation membership fell by
> 68,000 in five years. The AFL-CIO, well aware of the alarming
> numbers, has called for a "National Organizing Summit" early next
> year.
--
"At times one remains faithful to a cause only because its opponents do not cease to be insipid." - Friedrich Nietzsche