Brazilian Labor Movement Research Articles

From Union Networks to Lula Livre: an Analysis of US – Brazil Trade Union Solidarity Movements in the 21st Century

Abstract The Brazilian and US labor movements are currently confronting common challenges related to changes in the overall structure and profile of the working class, the elimination of traditional sources of financing, and the weakening of allied political forces in the electoral arena. Considering these joint trajectories, the authors will examine recent efforts by US-based and Brazilian labor movement actors to create spaces for strategic collaborations, two-way learning, and mutual solidarity, to support common political goals and efforts towards union renovation. The article analyzes three contemporary cases of US-Brazil union solidarity networks, in order to better understand how transnational union activism influences national-level outcomes. The authors posit that the success of these forms of activism is dependent on objective limits created by external economic and political conditions, yet in some circumstances non-transactional solidarity is capable of producing unexpected positive outcomes for workers and their union organizations.

Entrevista com Ricardo Antunes: as metamorfoses da vida e do trabalho

Abstract: In this interview, Ricardo Antunes discusses his life and studies trajectory and recalls moments of his intellectual buildup, returns to the historical contexts in which he elaborated his main works and links the central concepts of these works and pressing matters of today. In the dialogue with his interviewers, Antunes addresses issues related to trade unionism and the Brazilian labor movement, labor and social classes in global capitalism, the socio-sexual division of labor and contemporary forms of the law of value. Ricardo Antunes is Professor of Sociology at the Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences of the University of Campinas.

A fundação do Partido Comunista do Brasil

The main objective of this study is to reconstitute the formation process of the Communist Party of Brazil — from the beginnings of the Brazilian labor movement to its first years of life — identifying the causes that led to its emergence and the reasons that made it viable to this day, despite countless attempts (external and internal) to liquidate it. The main working hypothesis is that the emergence of the Communist Party of Brazil was not something artificial, the result of the “will” of some individuals or “an idea brought from outside”, “creation of the Communist International”, but it reflected an objective need arising from the social evolution of Brazil — that in 1922 was at a time of ruptures — and the development of its working class. In Marx's view, it corresponded to the transformation of the proletariat from “a class itself” to “a class for itself”. The method of analysis used was historical and dialectical materialism. The conclusion that emerges from this study is that the continuity of the Communist Party of Brazil — despite all the persecutions suffered — expresses the objective existence of political space for a project of radical and revolutionary transformation of Brazilian capitalist society distinct from the reformist projects of the bourgeoisie and of the petty bourgeoisie.

Futebol: entre o lazer e o controle

O futebol moderno vincula-se ao industrialismo. Arrisco afirmar que a vida humana ocidental contemporânea aparenta partidas de futebol: embates, tempo medido, lutas pela titularidade e aceitação, torcidas agindo como partidos políticos, discussões de teses, improvisos, simbologias de socialização, teatralização da vida social, entre outros. Faz-se necessário entender como o brasileiro apropriou-se do esporte, como que o tomando das camadas mais abastadas que o introduziram no país. Nas primeiras décadas do século XX, o movimento operário brasileiro postou-se de forma ruidosa. A nascente burguesia industrial brasileira, inquieta diante das mobilizações sindicais proletárias, teria feito uso de mecanismos menos duros como apoiar e financiar o esporte que caíra nas graças operárias: o futebol. O resgate histórico-social de documentos de diversas agremiações permite observar interferências patronais no desenvolvimento clubista, controlando-as direta e/ou indiretamente. De lá para cá, o esporte seguiu sua trajetória, permeando políticas e ajustando conflitos pessoais.

Movimento operário, atuação e pensamento político ideológico de Antonio Bernardo Canellas no Nordeste (1916-1920): um esboço interpretativo

O artigo apresenta a trajetória política ideológica de Antonio Bernardo Canellas no Nordeste na segunda década do século XX nas cidades de Viçosa e Maceió, ambas no estado de Alagoas e Recife – PE. Sua trajetória, escrita e atuação no Nordeste permite recuperar múltiplos elementos da história do movimento operário brasileiro fora do eixo Rio – São Paulo. A experiência e escrita de Canellas permite evidenciar sua militância e posicionamento ideológico, acrescentando-se, ainda, aspectos referentes às mobilizações classitas inter-relacionadas a outras cidades do país.

The International Labour Standards Debate in the Brazilian Labour Movement: Engagement with Mercosur and Opposition to the Free Trade Area of the Americas

The social dimensions of economic integration have become an increasingly significant feature of trade agreements, particularly those between developing countries. In the Brazilian case trade-related labour standards have not become a major feature outside of the regional organization Mercosur (Common Market of the South), yet we know relatively little about the reasons for this discrepancy. Paradoxically one of the main stakeholders in this debate, Brazilian trade unions, has broadly supported social and labour clauses in the regional context but union activists have opposed labour provisions in trade negotiations between asymmetric partners. A comparative analysis of the labour campaigns in Mercosur and the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) negotiations explains this ambiguity in terms of Brazilian labour strategies towards free trade negotiations and explores their implications for evaluations of labour attitudes to trade-related labour standards in developing countries. The labour movement’s own conflicting perspectives on the trade–labour connection are a key explanation of these outcomes, reinforcing the need for a greater appreciation of the complexity of trade union views in the debate on labour standards.

Political action and the Brazilian labour movement: issues and contradictions facing PT governments

This article deals with the Brazilian labour movement, the relationship between unions and politics, and the channels for union participation within the government. It also focuses on the main union movement’s proposals and their acceptance by employers and government. It presents some indicators concerning collective action and mobilization, pointing out differences between union practices and ideas, and indicating some sources of conflict between the hegemonic and the minority Brazilian labour movements.

Strikes in Brazil during the government of João Goulart (1961–1964)

The article seeks to analyze the strikes of urban workers in Brazil during the government of João Goulart (1961–1964). Previous studies have either solely used the number of walkouts as a basis for analysis or have assessed the size of the strikes on the basis of a limited number of observations. We employ an alternative methodology, founded on nominal variables related to location, sectoral coverage, and labor categories as a proxy for identifying the size of the stoppages and their impact on the economy. It is argued that the Brazilian labor movement was becoming stronger and more autonomous in its relations with the government, and that this changed the balance of power between workers and business groups, contributing to the latter’s support of the overthrow of democracy in Brazil in 1964.

International solidarity and foreign interventionism: Brazilian and American labor relations during the dictatorship in Brazil (1960s and 70s)

This article aims to analyze the role of American trade unionism during the Brazilian dictatorship examining the activities of American Institute for Free Labor Development (AIFLD). It will pay particular attention to the political repression and anti-labor policy conducted by the dictator Emílio Garrastazu Médici (1969–74). The examination of the U.S. labor policy in Brazil during the heydays of the cold war in Latin America is an interesting case study of the contradictions and paradoxes of the AFL-CIO and American international relations during that period, as well as a stimulating example of transnational trade union and international solidarity relations during this period. The paper investigates how AIFLD reacted to human rights violations perpetrated by the Médici regime, highlighting the fine line between American international labor solidarity and foreign intervention during the cold war period. As a final point, the paper analyzes the workers’ resistance to the dictatorial regime, as well as the U.S. interpretation of the Brazilian labor movement in this context of repression and human rights violations.

Ambiguidades do momento corporativo: gênese e justificação dos direitos sociais no Brasil

Esse artigo se ocupa do processo de inscrição da linguagem corporativa no trabalhismo brasileiro. Para tanto, problematiza o seu desenvolvimento no campo dos valores públicos e das instituições, atribuindo relevo à relação entre a saúde do trabalhador e a política de saúde pública. A partir da historicização desse fenômeno político, recupera-se o dissenso intelectual dos anos 1930, localizando na proximidade de Oliveira Vianna com paradigma social católico um momento privilegiado para sua legitimação pública. Com esse enquadramento histórico-analítico a contribuição do artigo consiste em apresentar argumentos que desestabilizam as interpretações que assumem o pragmatismo corporativo como condição inexorável do trabalhismo moderno.

Adidos Trabalhistas e lideres sindicais norteamericanos no Brasil 1943 – 1952

This work is based on the analysis of restricted and secret documents from the State Department of the United States, mainly the Monthly Labor Reports , Reports from FBI, CIA and from the Labor Department of the United States. This study tries to describe the action of the American and British Labor Attaches in Brazil, from 1943 to 1952, as a key element in the American foreign policy towards the possible interference in the internal affairs of Brazil. At the same time this study highlights the work of the labor’s leaders of the American Federation when they visited Brazil, in that period, to convice the Brazilian Labor leaders to join a World Federation of Labor, whose intention was to control the Brazilian Labor Movement.

The Brazilian Labor Movement under PT Governments

Neoliberalism in Brazil led the labor movement to adopt a more conciliatory and collaborative stance, emphasizing negotiation and becoming receptive to the idea of social partnership. The discrediting of neoliberalism made it possible for the Partido dos Trabalhadores to win the presidency in 2002, and the unions had an important role in this victory. Rather than changing the direction of the labor movement, however, the PT governments have created political and economic conditions that reinforce it by expanding the institutional mechanisms available for collaboration with the state and strengthening the defense of immediate economic interests by creating conditions that allowed wage increases and improvements in collective agreements. This success in economic terms contrasts with the unions’ limited political intervention, an expression of a social democracy without reform, confined to what is possible. O neoliberalismo no Brasil incentivou o movimentou sindical a assumir uma posição mais voltada para a conciliação e a colaboração, que prioriza a negociação e se torna receptiva ao conceito de parceria social. Foi o desprestígio do neoliberalismo que possibilitou o triunfo do Partido dos Trabalhadores na eleição presidencial de 2002 e os sindicatos desempenharam um papel importante nessa vitória. Entretanto, ao invés de mudar o rumo do movimento sindical, os governos PT têm criado as condições políticas e econômicas que reforçam a posição atual desse movimento, aumentando os mecanismos institucionais para colaboração com o Estado e estimulando a defesa dos interesses econômicos imediatos em um contexto que vem permitindo aumentos salariais e melhoras nos acordos coletivos. Ao sucesso econômico se contrapõe a limitada ação política dos sindicatos, expressão de uma democracia social sem reformas, que se restringe à gestão do possível.

Engajamento e sacrifício o pensamento estético de Mário de Andrade

Mario de Andrade conceived and organized his whole work as a means of social praxis. He therefore developed a profound and dramatic thought about the difficult relation between art and society in Brazil. Especially from 1930, when the Brazilian ideological life became strongly politicized, Mario seeks to develop an aesthetic thought centered on the idea of art's social function, in order to promote forms of political intervention through culture. Mario however could not overcome in theory the idea that the aesthetic and the political elements of artworks contradict one another. This article intends to expose the movement and paradoxes of the writer's aesthetic thought, as well as those of the solution that Mario finds for his torturous dilemmas - that is, sacrifice. Mario's ideas are studied here in their relations with history, especially with the process - carried out by the State during the 1920s and the 1930s - of dismantling the incipient Brazilian labour movement, which started to organize class struggle in the country.

In This Issue

In This Issue

O Mito da “Flor Exótica”

O conceito de influência foi largamente utilizado pela historiografia em buscar ligações entre o processo de independência e a formação da classe e do movimento operário brasileiro. Nesse texto, pretendo discorrer sobre os problemas do uso desse conceito na elucidação de tais processos históricos, discutirei as novas opções conceituais de interpretação, além, de buscar uma simetria entre o processo de independência e da gênese do anarquismo no Brasil, e, dos panfletos políticos do período monárquico com a imprensa operária republicana.

Reviews - Marieke Riethof, Responses of the Brazilian Labour Movement to Economic and Political Reforms (Amsterdam: Rozenberg Publishers, 2002), pp. 240, €22.50, pb.

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Ditadura militar e resistência operária: O movimento sindical brasileiro do golpe à transição democrática

The 1950s are a period of great significance for Brazilian workers. The trade union movement, headed by an alliance of communist and labor militants, made major organizational and mobilization progress that led to significant workers’ participation in society and national political life. This article analyzes the trajectory of the Brazilian labor movement during the period, placing emphasis on factors that are internal to the life of the movement. Among the latter, we consider constituting forces and internal disputes, political and ideological orientation and their influence on organization and practice, as well as the forms of struggle that were developed. Furthermore, external conditioning factors, such as the political and economic conjuncture that serve as a scenario for the union actor are also taken into account, considered insofar as they both alter and are altered by the latter. Keywords: workers’ movement, Brazilian Communist Party, military dictatorship, new working class, strike movement.

Alternative Forms of Working-Class Organization and the Mobilization of Informal-Sector Workers in Brazil in the Era of Neoliberalism

AbstractThis article examines recent changes in working-class collective actions. First it explains which were the main causes for the decline of traditional labor union militancy resulting from effects of economic stabilization, neoliberalization, and globalization on those key segments of labor movement that accounted for the backbone of union militancy as in the case of the automotive workers, bank workers, steelworkers, and civil servants of the Brazilian economy during the decade of the 1990s. Secondly, the article analyzes the emergence of alternative forms of worker contention among the urban informal sector and the rural workers through the landless workers movement, which also have been affected by the processes of neoliberalization and globalization, but unlike the workers in the formal sector, these continue to contend for worker entitlements and introduce new forms of worker organization different from the conventional union organizations upon which is based the Brazilian labor movement.

Changing Strategies of the Brazilian Labor Movement

On October 27, 2002, the Brazilian presidential elections had an unprecedented result: Luiz Inicio Lula da Silva, a former metalworker and the leader of the Workers' party (originally founded by labor leaders in 1979), was elected president. This unusual result was partly a reflection of a gradual shift within the Brazilian labor movement from radical socialism as a political objective to more pragmatic political and economic strategies. In this article I will examine this strategic change in the Brazilian labor movement, still a major constituent of the Partido dos Trabalhadores (Workers' party-PT), and demonstrate that increasing political moderation has become a feature of the Brazilian left. First, I will show that Brazilian labor unions have adopted a broad view of their potential constituency and the interests they represent based on a broader conception of class and a recognition of the labor movement's strong connections with other social movements. I will go on to show that while the early strategies of Brazilian labor unions were characterized by strikes and mobilization, the momentum for strikes declined during the 1990s and this forced the labor movement to rethink its position and consider new strategies. Finally, I will argue that Lula's election in 2002 is evidence of major political success for the Workers' party and its supporters but several of the earlier tensions and disagreements remain.

Les évolutions du syndicalisme brésilien dans les années 1990. Une étude de cas dans le bâtiment

Les évolutions du syndicalisme brésilien dans les années 1990. Une étude de cas dans le bâtiment