Cross‐Movement Coalition Formation: Bridging the Labor‐Environment Divide*

Abstract

Relations between the labor and environmental movements exist within a complex web of clashing interests, electoral politics, and attempts to form enduring blue‐green coalitions. Unions and other labor organizations are often portrayed as solely interested in economic growth. Environmental organizations are often seen as solely interested in preserving the natural world at the expense of economic growth, thus creating a direct conflict between the interests of labor and environmental organizations. Despite these perceived differences, efforts to bridge the divide between the two movements are increasingly common. This article examines the formation of a collective identity shared by workers and environmentalists participating in the coalition. I develop this argument through an ethnographic analysis of the formation of a blue‐green coalition, the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, using in‐depth interviews, observations, and content analyses. I demonstrate how coalition leaders and bridge brokers work to bridge and consolidate the identities of labor and environmental groups to campaign for environmental health regulatory changes in Massachusetts.

Social Movements and Bridge Building: Religious and Sexual Identity Conflicts

“…Prodded by insights on intersectionality (see recent reviews and developments by Cho, Crenshaw, & McCall, 2013;Chun, Lipsitz, & Shin, 2013;Verloo, 2013), social movement scholars have increasingly sought to understand how activists negotiate overlapping positional and cultural differences in the social world (e.g., Beamish & Luebbers, 2009;Braunstein, Fulton, & Wood, 2014;Brecher & Costello, 1990;Gamson, 1997;Ghaziani, 2011;Lichterman, 1995Lichterman, , 2005Longard, 2013;Mayer, 2009;Nakano, 2013;Reger, Myers, & Einwohner, 2008;Roth, 2003Roth, , 2008Smith, 2002;Snarr, 2009;Swarts, 2011;Wood, Fulton, & Partridge, 2012;Yukich, 2010). One way that social movement scholars have attempted to address this question is through attention to "bridging work" or "bridge building" in social movements, which is a "form of social movement interaction that focuses explicitly on efforts to overcome and negotiate conflicts that result from different collective identities," usually in a way that takes into account the concerns of all actors involved (Roth, 2003, p. 9; see also Beamish & Luebbers, 2009;Braunstein et al, 2014;Brecher & Costello, 1990;Ghaziani, 2011;Lichterman, 2005;Mayer, 2009;Roth, 2008;Smith, 2002;Snarr, 2009;Wood et al, 2012). Similarly, social movement scholars have begun to shed light on the role of "bridging organizations" in social movements, or organizations that seek "to educate different groups about each other, to reduce fear and hostility based on ignorance by bringing individuals together, and to encourage the valuing of cultural diversity" …”

Environmental Concern of Labor Union Members in the United States

“…Frames of public and occupational health and of corporate accountability have been useful for forming local blue‐green alliances, especially around issues of specific hazards and toxics (Estabrook et al. ; Mayer ; Edwards ). Common values and a coherent ideology may be essential for sustaining social movement coalitions (McCright and Dunlap ).…”

Serving Food Justice: A Union Campaign for Fresh Food, Health, and Sustainability

“…Thus, creating shared identities and values through framing, personal relationships, and bridge builders is important for sustaining labor-environment coalitions (Gordon, 1999;Mayer, 2009). Frames of occupational health and corporate accountability have been effective for labor-environment alliances (Edwards, 2011;Mayer, Brown, & Morello-Frosch, 2010).…”