The Crisis In The Working Class And Some Arguments For A New Labor Movement

In this classic history and analysis of the successes and failures of modern trade unionism, McDermott provides unorthodox approaches for working-class organization today.

The author is convinced that there is a ruling class in America today. He examines the American power structure as it has developed in the 1980s. He presents systematic, empirical evidence that a fixed group of privileged people dominates the American economy and government. The book demonstrates that an upper class comprising only one-half of one percent of the population occupies key positions within the corporate community. It shows how leaders within this "power elite" reach government and dominate it through processes of special-interest lobbying, policy planning and candidate selection. It is written not to promote any political ideology, but to analyze our society with accuracy.

Unions and class transformation : the case of the Broadway musicians -- The Broadway musicians : a case study -- Subjects of concern for Broadway musicians -- Class transformation -- Post class transformation : applications on Broadway and beyond.

This book goes against the grain of current conservative thinking to provide a radical democratic critique of deficit policies. Scheuerman and Plotkin trace the process by which the government has abandoned its public functions, foced in part by the exigencies of capitalism both here and abroad.

This book analyzes the ways that workers are educated," via a variety of institutions, to fit into the contemporary labour-unfriendly economic system. As he examines the history and purposes of vocational education, Kincheloe illustrates the manner in which this education shapes the politics of the era. How Do We Tell the Workers? is important reading for policy makers, labour leaders, and educators.

This reference volume reflects the changing world of work. It includes research on the various dimensions of work, such as the structure of the labour force, labour market segmentation, technology, employment/unemployment, trade unions, and industrial democracy. This book provides an integrated view of the various dimensions of work, its distinguishing characteristics and issues both peculiar, as well as common to industrialized countries. By adopting an interdisciplinary and interactional perspective, this volume provides the scholar and the lay reader with a range of approaches and debates that have made a significant contribution toward understanding the changing nature of work and its social impact.

The US trade union movement finds itself on a global battlefield filled with landmines and littered with the bodies of various social movements and struggles. Candid, incisive, and accessible, this text is a critical examination of labour's crisis and a plan for a bold way forward into the 21st century.