An Opportunity Not Taken . . . yet: U.S. Labor and the Current Economic Crisis

Abstract

Two years since the financial crash of 2008 and nearly three years into the recession, what is perhaps most noteworthy about U.S. trade unions' response to the economic crisis is how limited and unfocused it is. To date, the main reactions of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations andChange to Win to the crisis have been to lobby the U.S. federal government for new policies, such as those oriented to job creation; there has been little by way of member mobilization. Though this may at first seem surprising, in fact it reflects both long-term weaknesses in the labor movement and new difficulties imposed by the conjuncture. However, despite these obstacles, the U.S. labor movement has developed new and innovative strategies in recent decades, which hold out hope for a stronger reaction in months and years to come.

Getting Through the Hard Times Together? Chinese Workers and Unions Respond to the Economic Crisis

“…The European Left could not organize protest, since it was divided, disoriented, and ideologically disarmed’ (2010: 25), concluding that social democracy as a whole is seriously threatened. Chris Tilly talks about the ‘missed opportunity’ for the US labor movement, as the AFL-CIO and Change to Win federations focused largely on policy proposals that by and large failed to materialize (Tilly, 2010).…”

“…Chris Tilly talks about the 'missed opportunity' for the US labor movement, as the AFL-CIO and Change to Win federations focused largely on policy proposals that by and large failed to materialize (Tilly, 2010).…”