The American Labour Movement in Transition

Abstract

For the next three to five years, there appears to be little likelihood that the status of unions in the United States will change. The major forces that have economically and politically weakened organised labour persist. Because American unions are reactive and protective organisations, they have adjusted slowly and cautiously to shaping forces. Nevertheless, in response to changes in industrial structure, labour force composition and union leadership, fewer, larger, and internally diverse unions are evolving. To varying degrees, unions are reorienting their strategies and activities to reflect the interest of a work force that increasingly values co-operation rather than confrontation, employment security through managed change, and participative management. As a consequence, the industrial relations system is evolving a complex mixture of adversarial and co-management relationships.