Department
of Politics and Society
University of California, Irvine
Spring 1996
WORKING CLASS HERO:
LABOR UNIONS IN AMERICAN POLITICS AND SOCIETY
As both Pat Buchanan and Ross Perot have recently reminded us, income inequality
is on the rise in the United States, the purchasing power of middle-class wages
is evidently stagnating, and the voice of ordinary workers in the political
system seems to have been silenced. Historically, labor unions were one of the
principal institutions in our society for counteracting such trends, both through
collective bargaining with business enterprises and by voicing the concerns
of middle and lower income employees in the political system. It is not surprising,
therefore, that the overall decline in union representation in the workforce
over the last few decades has often been cited as a cause for both skewed economic
outcomes and biased public policies. Currently, the AFL-CIO and its member unions
are undertaking a major effort to renew their membership and political clout.
This is the context for the present course, which will examine what labor unions
are, why and how they arose historically in the United States, and their current
status in American politics, economics, and society. Since labor unions have
been major players in 20th century American history, our study of organized
labor should teach us much about the broader political and economic trends of
our time. One interesting theme we will explore is that of the "working class
hero." The idea has two components. At one level, it refers to the heroic individuals
who have represented employees in their struggle for dignity, freedom, and equality.
At another level, it refers to the idea, rooted in Marxian thought, of the working
class itself as a collective hero in advancing social change. Do such ideas
still have any relevance for America at the end of the 20th century? The answer,
I believe, is yes, as this course will demonstrate.
Required Texts: Robert H. Zieger, American Workers, American Unions
Thomas Geoghegan, Which Side Are You On? Trying to Be For Labor When It's
Flat on Its Back
Charles B. Craver, Can Unions Survive? The Rejuvenation of the American Labor
Movement
Course Reader (a set of articles available for purchase at the university bookstore).
SCHEDULE OF LECTURES AND READINGS
1. What Do Unions Do? Why Does It Matter? Why Is Labor (Sometimes) Considered
Heroic?
Geoghegan, entire book; Craver, Chapter One; Course Reader: Freeman and Medoff
; Hayek; Friedman.
2. How Do Unions Get Organized? How Democratic Are They?
Course Reader: Olson; Wilson; McConnell; Perusek; Benson.
3. How and Why Did American Unions Begin to Get Organized?
Craver, Chapter 2.
4. What Happened During the New Deal? Was this the Highpoint of the Heroic Age?
Zieger, Chapters 1-3.
5. Why the Postwar Decline? Can It Be Reversed? What Happened in the 1960s?
Zieger, Chapters 4-6; Craver, Chapters 3-5.
6. What Are the Unions Doing in Politics and Society These Days?
Zieger, Chapter 7; Craver, Chapter 5.
7. Is There Hope for a Renewal of Labor--for the Working Class Hero?
Zieger, Chapter 7; Craver, Chapter 6; review Geoghegan.