The Changing Landscape of US Unions in Historical

PL16CH12-GoldfieldARI17April201314:39TheChangingLandscapeofUSUnionsinHistoricalandTheoreticalPerspectiveMichaelGoldfieldandAmyBromsenDepartmentofPoliticalScience,WayneStateUniversity,Detroit,Michigan48202;email:m.goldfi[e-mail],[e-mail].2013.16:231–57FirstpublishedonlineasaReviewinAdvanceonMarch7,2013TheAnnualReviewofPoliticalScienceisonlineat’sdoi:10.1146/annurev-polisci-032211-214003Copyrightc2013byAnnualReviews.AllrightsreservedKeywordslabororganization,tradeunions,publicsector,attacksongovernmentunions,uniongrowthanddecline,publicsectorcollectivebargainingAbstractIncertainstates,mostnotablyWisconsinandOhio,attemptshavebeenmadetoeliminatepublicsectorcollectivebargaining.Althoughtheall-outattackonpublicsectorunionsisrelativelynew,itisbestseeninthecontextoflong-termtrends.Theseincludethelong-standingassaultonprivatesectorunions;theongoingconservativepoliticalcritiqueofthepublicsector;andneoliberalpoliciesthatcontractgovernmentservices,deregulatevirtuallyalleconomicactivities,andprivatizemanygovernmentprograms,aswellasdecreasingworkers’wagesandbenefits(allegedlytomakethemmoregloballycompetitive).Theracialandgenderdimensionsofthesetrendsareworthyofnoteandattimescentraltothenarrative.Wediscusstheseissuesindetail,withinthebroadercontextoftheroleofunionsinmodernsocietyandthehistoryoflabororganizationinboththeprivateandpublicsectorsintheUnitedStates.231Annu.Rev.Polit.Sci.2013.16:231-257.DownloadedfromfieldARI17April201314:39INTRODUCTIONThe2010electionsgaveconservativeRepublicanscontrolofalargenumberofstatelegislaturesandgovernorships.1Inmanyofthesestates,mostnotablyWisconsinandOhio,attemptshavebeenmadetopasslegislationtoeliminatepublicsectorcollectivebargaining.Proponentsofsuchlegislationarguethatgovernmentalemployeeunionshavebeenamajorcontributortostateandlocalbudgetdeficitsowingtotheirunreasonablyhighpay,lavishpensions,andhealthcarebenefits.Furthermore,theyclaimunionsareamajorroadblocktoresolvingthesedeficitsbecauseoftheirunwillingnesstomakeconcessions.Unionsandtheirallieshavefoughtbackagainsttheseattacks,sofarwithmixedresults.Therelativelynewpressureonpublicsectorunionsisbestseenwithinthebroadercontextoftheroleofunionsinmodernsociety,andasanescalationoflong-termtrendsinthehistoryofla-bororganizationinboththeprivateandpublicsectorsintheUnitedStates.Thiscontextincludeslong-standingemployeroppositiontoprivatesectorunionsandtheirmany-decadesdecline;theongoingconservativepoliticalcritiqueofthepublicsectoritself;andrelatedpoliciesofderegula-tionofeconomicactivity,reductionofgovernmentservices,andoutsourcingandprivatizationofremaininggovernmentprograms,aswellasdecreasingworkers’wagesandbenefits—undertherubricofneoliberalism.Theracialandgenderdimensionsofthesetrendsarenoteworthyandattimesarecentraltothenarrative.LABORORGANIZATIONINTHEUNITEDSTATESUnionmembershiphasrisenandfallenthroughnumerouspeaksandvalleysforalmosttwocenturies.ThesecyclesarenotuniquetotheUnitedStatesbuthavecertainnationalpeculiarities.OriginsofPrivateSectorUnionsLaborprotestsandstrikesbeganintheearlycolonialperiod,includingamutinybyagroupoffish-ermenoffthecoastofMainewhosewageshadbeenwithheld(1636),strikesbyjourneymentailors(1768),NewYorkprinters(1778),Philadelphiaseamen(1779),NewYorkshoemakers(1785),andprintersandcarpentersinPhiladelphia(1786).Thefirstgenerallyrecognizedunion(i.e.,continuousorganization)ofwageearnerswastheFederalSocietyofJourneymenCordwainers(shoemakers),formedinPhiladelphiain1794.Earlyunions,likelaterones,foughtforhigherwages,shorterhours,andbetterworkingconditions.Despitewidesupportoftheirrighttoorga-nize,basedontherighttoassemblyenshrinedintheFirstAmendmenttotheUSConstitution—arightchampionedontheirbehalfbyJeffersonianDemocrats—courtsconsistentlyruledtheirac-tivitiestobe“criminalconspiracies”throughoutthenineteenthandearlytwentiethcenturies[Dulles&Dubofsky1993(1984),p.30;Orren1991;Gregory&Katz1979].Thegrowthanddeclineofunionswerehighlycyclical.Theyvirtuallydisappearedduringthecontractionsof1819,1837,and1877andexpandedwiththeexponentialgrowthofindustryinthedecadesaftertheCivilWar.USsocietywaswrackedbywidespreadlaborupheavalsandepisodicorganization:therailwayworkers’insurrectionarystrikesof1877;theriseoftheKnightsofLaborinthe1880s;theHomesteadsteelstrikeof1892(putdownbyanarmyofsteelcompanythugsandpolice);organizationamongsteel,iron,andcoalworkers;andthe1894Pullmanrailwaystrike.FederaltroopsweresenttodefeatthePullmanstrikedespitetheexplicitordersofIllinois1Asof2011,Republicanscontrolledthegovernorshipsandbothhousesin21states;incontrast,Democratshadsuchcontrolinonly11states(NationalConferenceofStateLegislatures2011).232Goldfield·BromsenAnnu.Rev.Polit.Sci.2013.16:231-257.DownloadedfromfieldARI17April201314:39GovernorJohnPeterAltgelt,whohaddeclaredthestrikerspeacefulandthestateforcesadequate,notrequiringfedera