Monograph on trade union mergers and trade union federations in the USA - analyses merger negotiations and membership concentration in the iron and steel industries, mail handlers, pulp and paper industry, railway industry, etc., And includes a chronology of mergers, a list of trade unions and employees associations and merger agreements. Bibliography pp. 205 to 218, references and statistical tables.
As Trade Union membership has declined, merger and amalgamation have been prominent features in strategies of revitalization. Yet, there is very little systematic, empirical research into their effects on unions or the wider union movement. This ground-breaking study fills this gap with its in-depth analysis of British unions' mergers since 1978.
Trade unions in Europe are currently facing a series of challenges that stem from changes to regulatory and production regimes implemented by the state and employers, in order to compete in an increasingly internationalized economy. In response to these challenges, trade union movements have been dramatically restructuring; long-standing principles of organization have been jettisoned in an attempt to develop new structures. Central to this process of structural adaptation are the mergers of trade unions. This informative book focuses on the merger process in Britain and Germany and, uniquely, it reviews the wider implications of these developments - particularly for North America. As well as addressing the reasons for mergers, the book also examines the process whereby mergers are concluded, investigates the consequences, and analyses the costs and benefits of the post-merger organisation. Drawing on interviews conducted with senior policy-makers engaged in merger processes, this book explores the extent of internal union reform brought about by the merger process, and also identifies the implications of this reform for trade unions world-wide. Structured in distinct sections, this book covers topic such as: what distinguishes the British and German systems? trade union structures pre-merger issues settling the terms of the mergers post-merger developments. This book forms part of the Routledge Research in Employment Relations series featuring works of high academic merit drawn from a wide range of academic studies in the social sciences. It is a valuable resource for postgraduate students studying business and management, industrial employee relations, and trade unions.
Trade union mergers have become common throughout the industrial world. In the United States, since the late 1970s, these have become increasingly multi-jurisdictional. Beginning in the 1990s, the trend has been dominated by five 'conglomerate' unions, who have embraced this as a strategy for growth and increased effectiveness. This article will examine the roots of this 'conglomerate' direction and quantitatively assess the claims for greater effectiveness in finances, organizing, and collective bargaining. The tentative conclusion is that while resources and policy matter, the conglomerate merger strategy of these unions has not improved any of these functions either over time or in comparison to other unions that have put less emphasis on multi-jurisdictional mergers.
This Brief examines the way that labor unions have been able to use mergers to survive the trend of sharply declining size and bargaining power. Using the metaphor of a ship adrift in a stormy sea, the author addresses the often-asked questions of why unions merge, how unions merge, and what unions can accomplish by merging. The first chapter sets the stage for union mergers by presenting the dilemma of American unions. The second chapter describes the motivation to merge by linking it to union decline. The third chapter deals with the barriers to merger, primarily major differences in union governance and opposition from officers, members and union staff. The fourth chapter examines the specific process by which unions amalgamate and absorb, the dynamics of merger overtures and negotiations, and the themes and variations of merger agreements and merger implementation agreements. The fifth chapter examines merger outcomes and the degree to which mergers are only a partial solution and often cannot resolve the problems that prompted them. The sixth and final chapter summarizes the present and future role that mergers might play in stabilizing and strengthening a labor movement adrift in a sea of turmoil. This Brief will be of interest to scholars of industrial relations, labor economics, and management.
Should unions and corporations be treated identically under the antitrust laws? This article explores this provocative question by examining whether union mergers should be subject to the antitrust laws. Currently unions and corporations are treated very differently. Large corporate mergers are blocked if their effect quot;may be substantially to lessen competition, or to tend to create a monopolyquot;. They are permitted if they are likely to be benign, procompetitive, or proconsumer.Collective bargaining, by contrast, enjoys a broad exemption from the antitrust laws. If they follow appropriate procedures, unions - even unions that, when taken together, cover all workers within a given industry - are permitted to merge or to coordinate their activity. There is no review of these mergers or of this coordinated activity to determine whether monopoly power, cartel-type behavior, or other anticompetitive or anticonsumer activity will result.This Article asks whether mergers or joint conduct between labor unions should be examined under a standard similar to that used to scrutinize corporate activity. This piece outlines an alternative proposal that would allow workers within individual companies to form a union or otherwise coordinate their bargaining, but then subjects all proposed mergers or other alliances of these units to the provisions of the antitrust laws. We take Congress' concerns in the area as a given and demonstrate that Congress could substantially have reached its primary goals in a better way.An approached that treated union activity identically to corporate activity might very well reduce the anticompetitive potential of unions without ignificantly sacrificing their protective and efficiency-enhancing aspects. This Article focuses upon some of the implications and practical consequences that could arise from this alternative policy.
Focusing on trade union mergers in Britain and Germany, and drawing on interviews with senior policy-makers, this book addresses reasons for mergers, examines the conclusion processes, and analyzes costs and benefits for post-merger organizations.
