Institutions and Activism: Crisis and Opportunity for a German Labor Movement in Decline

Abstract

In recent decades, German unions have rested on their institutional laurels even as the ground has slipped away. This article analyzes two recent innovative campaigns based on grassroots mobilization that, the author argues, offer possibilities for renewed union strength. A breakthrough campaign against a militantly anti-union firm in the retail industry demonstrates the potential for a German brand of social movement unionism. The story line and institution-building strategy of this campaign fall entirely outside the framework of traditional German industrial relations. A second, very different campaign, from deep inside that traditional framework, has mobilized union members in Nordrhein-Westfalen (IG Metall's largest district) for active engagement in contract negotiations and membership growth. Together, these two stories challenge existing perspectives on once stable German industrial relations, point toward inadequacies of prominent contemporary theories of institutional stability and change, and suggest constraints and opportunities for a German labor movement in need of strategic reorientation. AbstractIn recent decades, German unions have rested on their institutional laurels even as the ground has slipped away. This article analyzes two recent innovative campaigns based on grassroots mobilization that, the author argues, offer possibilities for renewed union strength. A breakthrough campaign against a militantly anti-union firm in the retail industry demonstrates the potential for a German brand of social movement unionism. The story line and institution-building strategy of this campaign fall entirely outside the framework of traditional German industrial relations. A second, very different campaign, from deep inside that traditional framework, has mobilized union members in Nordrhein-Westfalen (IG Metall's largest district) for active engagement in contract negotiations and membership growth. Together, these two stories challenge existing perspectives on once stable German industrial relations, point toward inadequacies of prominent contemporary theories of institutional stability and change, and suggest constraints and opportunities for a German labor movement in need of strategic reorientation.

Union Renewal and Business Strategies - Strategic Codetermination of Works Councils and the Campaign “Better Not Cheaper” of the German Metalworkers’ Union

“…It is no accident that they became the main focus of the famous "Better not Cheaper" campaign launched by the German metalworkers' union. As Turner (2008) has argued convincingly, two very different forms of union revitalisation can be observed in Germany, initiated by different unions and taking place in very different sectors of the German economy. One is the organizing campaigns launched by the service sector union Ver.di in a number of retail companies, while the other is the new strategy of collective bargaining and works council activation adopted by the metalworkers' union IG Metall.…”

“…Thus Turner states that the campaign, together with membership campaigns timed to coincide with plant-level disputes on collective bargaining norms, offers an "unexpected promise for institutional revitalization" of industrial relations in Germany (Turner, 2008). What stands out is an empirical test of the high hopes that have been expressed about the "Better not Cheaper" campaign.…”

Relazioni Industriali Eni e Modelli Europei: Francia e Germania

“…A queste sfide i sistemi europei di relazioni industriali hanno reagito con modalità diverse in corrispondenza ai caratteri storici che li hanno conformati (Howell & Givan, 2011;Turner, 2009;Ferner & Hyman, 1992). Su queste tendenze nazionali, l'Unione Europea ha esercitato una influenza relativa, contrariamente a quanto alcuni auspicavano; per l'inadeguatezza delle competenze istituzionali e degli strumenti disponibili, ma anche per la mancanza di volontà dei governi europei di esercitare una azione comunitaria incisiva sulle relazioni fra imprese e mondo del lavoro.…”

“…Queste due visioni possono essere anche rilette in modo complementare (Turner, 2009). Un buon punto di partenza è l'analisi dell'azione sindacale tedesca in questi ultimi 40 anni: il sindacato ha dovuto affrontare una serie di sfide, adattando la propria organizzazione a trasformazioni sociali e economiche importanti, partecipando in via istituzionale alla sicurezza sociale pubblica e privata, gestendo la contrattazione collettiva anche aziendale (Streeck & Thelen, 2005).…”

The changing nature of labour protest: Comparing the fragmentation of protest rituals on May 1st in Berlin and Budapest

“…Yet, in spite of the continual necessity for intense labour protests that address the new risks and vulnerabilities of employees in the service and knowledge economy, we know from a rich set of literature that today it has become far more difficult for trade unions and labour parties to mobilise people for protests about labour issues (Rose, N. 1996;Taylor, G. and Mathers, A. 2002;Erne, R. 2006;Turner, L. 2009;Rucht, D. 2010;Sullivan, R. 2010;Bödeker, S. 2012;Doellgast, V. 2012;Larsson, B. 2012;Fulton, L. 2013).…”