Unionization and Immigrant Incorporation in San Francisco Hotels

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between immigration and union mobilization. It argues that industries, as mediating institutions, crucially shape the extent and meaning of inter-group differences at work, and thus their consequences for the generation of working class solidarity. Utilizing an in-depth case study of union organizing in the San Francisco hotel industry, the article demonstrates that three industry facets are especially consequential: their occupational structures, labor processes, and class-based organizations. The analysis shows how the ideology, practices, and structure of a local union can utilize and overcome sociocultural and economic divisions in the workforce to build a viable, democratic class-based organization.