SOCIAL UNIONISM AND MEMBERSHIP PARTICIPATION: WHAT ROLE FOR UNION DEMOCRACY? Stephanie Ross

Social unionism is response to “crisis” Decline in union density Atrophy of working class capacities Inability of unions to develop effective counter strategies to neoliberal globalization… Social unionism takes form of union- community coalitions

Social unionism contrast with conventional business unionism or service model Engages with social justice struggles beyond the workplace Methods of union activity “beyond the [official] collective bargaining process…” [TW: but I say it all comes down to “collective bargaining.”]

Three elements defining s.u. 1.Ethos or collective action frame used to rationalize union activity [moral economy from E. P. Thompson]. 2.The repertoire or strategic means used to act on that ethos. [repertoire from Charles Tilly] 3.Internal organizational practices and power relations which shape who is involved in defining goals and implementing plans.

Repertoire Ethos/Frame Organizational practices and power Social Unionism

Frames Social unionism tends toward an “anti- economistic” analysis of workers’ problems anti-sectionalist definition of the community of workers Sees unionism as the base from which broader social change is made in the interests of the working-class majority

Repertoire The use of particular strategies doesn’t necessarily indicate the presence of a broader approach Nor do the philosophical commitments associated with social unionism lead to a particular strategic repertoire co-existence of business and social unionism is a long-standing and dominant pattern in the Canadian labour movement

Problems 1.Social unionism happens "outside of bargaining" 2.the presence of a particular ethos in union statements does not guarantee its emergence in practice 3.Over-reliance on repertoire to define social unionism can cause us to categorize certain union actions as social unionist in ethos when they may not actually be.

projects with similar frames and strategies can vary according to the extent and nature of membership participation in and control over decision-making and implementation, And the relative importance of and division of labour between elected leaders, appointed staff, member activists, and the general membership.

Social movement unionism Membership-focussed democratizing social unionism places priority on membership involvement not only in implementation, but in all aspects of the process of defining union goals, strategies and tactics. [Remember member involvement “members must be involved in the bargaining process from the beginning”]

Fudge: “Equity Bargaining in The New Economy” Archetypical worker of new economy is knowledge worker. Mirror image of the knowledge workers are agricultural and domestic workers. Low paid and insecure employment in the service sector persists.

Fudge Just-in-time production methods Privatization Flexible labour Decline in standard employment Rise in contingent, precarious forms of work

Fudge Convergence between labour market experience of men and women Propelled by deteriorating prospects for men Greater need for equity but greater barriers

Fudge “Any hope for bargaining greater equity in the workplace depends on explaining to people, and especially members, that the general deterioration in new jobs is caused by the demand for labour, which is controlled by employers, and not by increased competition among workers.” “It is absolutely crucial to explain to people…” ???

Fudge concludes… Two broad principles are useful to consider when bargaining equity. 1. raise the floor of collective bargaining by including types of jobs that are normally excluded. 2. inclusion and non-discrimination should be the norm in all demands. Objection not so much on what these principles are but on HOW they are to be achieved.

Griffin-Cohen and Cohen: A Return to Wage Discrimination: Pay Equity Losses through the Privatization of Health Care “The BC government’s actions to facilitate health cafe privatization have turned back more than 30 years of pay equity gains for women in health support occupations.” “These very rapid changes in wages and working conditions are the result of a number of unprecedented actions by the provincial government, the multinational corporations winning contracted-out health support services, and one particular trade union, Local of the IWA.”