Unions in a Globalized Environment

How can American unions survive in our increasingly globalized business environment? With the trend toward multinational corporations, free trade pacts, and dismantling import barriers, organized labor has been steadily losing ground in the United States. This book argues that to reverse this trend, U.S. unions must create ties with workers and unions in other countries, and include the ever-increasing number of immigrant workers in their ranks. And it calls for a shift toward "social movement unionism, " which would change unions' orientation from exclusively market-focused and more toward social issues and rights. List of Tables and Figures, 1. The Labor Movement in a New Globalized Environment: An Introduction, Part 1: Cross-Border Organizing and Solidarity, 2. Free Trade and Worker Solidarity in the North American Auto Industry, 3. Four Models of Cross-Border Maquila Organizing, 4. Union Global Alliances at Multinational Corporations: A Case Study of the Ameritech Alliance, Part II: Responding to Immigration, 5. New Workers, New Labor, and the New Los Angeles, 6. Unions and Immigrants in South Florida: A Comparison, Part III: Internal Transformation: Moving Toward Social Movement Unionism?, 7. The Strategic Challenge of Organizing Manufacturing Workers in Global/Flexible Capitalism, 8. Does Neoliberal Restructuring Promote Social Movement Unionism? U.S. Developments in Comparative Perspective, 9. Citizenship Movement Unionism: For the Defense of Local Communities in the Global Age, 10. Concluding Thoughts: Internal Transformation?, About the Editor and Contributors, Index