This article uses the Miami living wage campaign to examine the potential and limitations of living wage campaigns to build enduring social movements which unite organized labor with community partners. Using the tripartite framework derived from the social movement litera ture of "political opportunities," "mobilizing structures," and "framing processes," the article analyzes this particular campaign to determine if a genuine social movement emerged. Hecksher and Palmer's thesis that organized labor as presently constituted is incapable of forming egalitar ian multilateral alliances with non-labor partners is tested, and sugges tions for "best practice" are developed.
This paper argues that unions can increase both the normative and instrumental value of trade unionism if they organize their activities and functions around regulating and extending the naturally occurring social networks that tie members together in workplaces. In so doing, the paper analyzes how the service model of unionism has contributed to shop-floor weakness, identifies the basic logic and limitations of the organizing model, and details the practices and structures that would be integral to organizing unions around social-capital formation and mutual-aid functions.any Anglo-American unions began as mutual-aid societies (Webb M and Webb 1907 ). Emerging from close-knit workin g -class communities, unions sought to protect workers on the job through collective action in support of traditional forms of production and labor standards, while attending to workers' off-the-j ob needs by directly providing a variety of social services including aid to the sick, literacy programs, and unemployment and death benefits. Membership involved both an economic and social commitment on the part of the worker to the group; good standing required the members not only to pay dues, but also to deliver social services to less-fortunate members on an as-needed basis.
This article examines the impact of a Florida health care union’s political activities on broader member “civic engagement.” Its grassroots political approach (membership education, leadership development, mobilizational structures, and capacity) and a broad “public interest” framing of goals has stimulated new forms of civic engagement by its volunteer leaders and members. Alternative explanations of its success in terms of membership demographics and method of conducting political activities is conducted, with the latter providing most of the explanation. This approach to politics is commended to the labor movement at large, both for its effectiveness and its legitimizing role in U.S. public opinion.
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