Union strategies – Business Unionism, DEMRV

Much like businesses and other organizations, unions also can select from a number of different strategies. These strategies are often differentiated based on the scope of representation, the broad goals of the union, the level of the power or decision making within a union, and the tactics the union will broadly engage to achieve its goals.

Unions will have to decide what groups of workers they will represent. As we saw in Module 3, the earliest unionist represented skilled workers or craftspeople and even viewed unskilled laborers as an enemy or distraction. As the CIO emerged, industrial unions began to represent all employees within an industry or within an organization – skilled and unskilled alike. For unions that followed the critical industrial relations school of thought (see Chapter 2 of the Budd text) like the IWW, the thought was that one big labor movement represented ALL working people across skill levels, organizations and industries. This is still an important decision that union leaders must make today.

Related to this scope of representation, unions can also select very different goals. For many unions, the goals will only relate to their members and will focus on what are often termed bread and butter issues – i.e. wages and benefits. This is a common approach from unions who have adopted the concept of business unionism. Often issues about control of the means of production are intentionally left to management and even negotiated through broad management rights clauses. Issues for workers outside of the immediate membership also are not considered important. Other unions might adopt a more traditional craft union approach and look to have greater control of the methods and means of production, adopting a form of job control unionism.

Unions also must make broad decisions about the internal power of the union or whether they will adopt a servicing model or a rank and file model of unionism. Will leaders make the decisions, engage in many of the tactics and members will only be involved to support such efforts, or will rank and file members be empowered and supported to engage in decision making as well as to engage in the tactics within the union.

Finally unions will have to make decisions about the tactics they will use to reach their goals. For business unions these often entail processes that are part of the formal labor relations structure under the NLRA. Organizing drives will focus on the election process rather than pressuring the employer to recognize the union. Collective bargaining will be formalistic and structured with roles for the negotiating committee and little input or role for other members. Disputes over contractual clauses will be handled through the grievance process, not other forms of concerted activity. Disputes that fall outside of the CBA will not be considered union concerns. Other unions take a more militant approach to tactics.  Organizing drives are more likely to involve external and internal pressure tactics – picketing, community involvement, work slow-downs, sick outs and even walkouts. Collective bargaining for some militant unions will occur on an on-going process rather than leading to a formal collective bargaining agreement that might limit the ability to strike or engage in other types of concerted activities. Collective bargaining that does lead to a formal CBA might entail more actions during the negotiation – picketing, involvement of members, sickouts, open negotiations, and other pressure tactics. During the day to day more militant unions might engage in concerted activity on a regular basis. As just one example, one union is known for calling for “Harry Bridges to whatever office” when a member has a dispute with management. This is a call for all members who are available to show up at that manager’s door as a pressure tactic to resolve the issue (A Trouble Maker’s Handbook). Grievances will often be used for more than just settling contract disputes and will be used as warning shots, to shine light on issues and to show members the union has power. 

There are a large number of different union strategies, including the DMRev model discussed in the article in this module. Other examples include:

 

Associational Unionism

Professionals within their field set standards for the fields. National Education Association is often cited as an example of this form of unionism.

 

Efficiency Enhancing Unionism

Focuses on improving firm performance and securing the members have a fair share of the efficiency – negotiated items might include things like, bonuses, raises, commissions, incentives plans like  gainsharing and/or profit sharing.

 

Business Unionism

Represent members; mechanism – Collective Bargaining – grievance; wages, hours, benefits

 

Employee Ownership Unionism

The goal is that the members of the bargaining unit will own the business/organization.  An example of this the UE purchase of the Chicago Glass Works from the former owners.  

 

Social Justice Unionism

Focuses on the working class as a whole. Tends to engage in militant activities like strikes, picketing, walk outs, community rallies.