The Fall and Rise of Organising in a Blue-Collar Union

Abstract

T his paper analyses the introduction of the organising philosophy into the largest branch of a national, blue-collar, manufacturing union. It outlines the initial adoption of this philosophy and examines the reasons for the failure of this innovation. Some five years later, a second, more successful attempt to introduce the organising model was made. The factors determining this success are analysed in the paper presented here and comparisons are made with the earlier failed attempt. The paper argues that the level of commitment and zeal of the unions' leadership was the crucial factor in determining the extent and culture of organising.

A Marketing and Industrial Relations Alliance to Generate Positive Brand Awareness for Gen Y: The Case of the National Tertiary Education Union

“…Focusing the discussion at a more local level the follows factors have also contributed to membership decline; the centralised or decentralised nature of work locations, management"s hostile or favourable attitude to employees (Griffin & Moors, 2004), legislative changes reducing unions" power to organise and employees" attitudes to unions. The list of issues continues and also includes; the nature of specific industries, the structure of the union (Ellem & Franks, 2008;Strauss, 1991), rates of pay (Galbraith, 1998), the growth of casualization (May, 2011), unemployment rates and industrial actions particularly strikes (Crosby, 2002).…”

Organising methods and member recruitment in Irish trade unions

“…Indeed, the increased workload associated with implementing an organising approach without the concomitant resources has been a source of frustration for union officers (Heery et al, 2003b;Fiorito, 2004;Carter and Cooper, 2002). Secondly, a number of studies have pointed to the influential role of union leaders in the adoption and success of union renewal strategies (Fiorito, 2004;Oxenbridge, 1997;Voss and Sherman, 2000;Kelly, 1998;Carter and Cooper, 2002;Griffin and Moors, 2004). While insufficient resources may signal a lack of commitment to organising, conversely an overenthusiastic leadership is not a guarantee of success.…”

The Organising Model in Australia: A Reassessment

“…Many failings are attributed to problems in implementing the organising model within a union population unaccustomed to its precepts. The model has, by common consent, been implemented in a 'top-down' manner (Griffin and Moors 2004;Cooper 2001;Fletcher and Hurd 1998;Peetz et al2007). Where the organising model has been adopted, it has typically followed the election of a new leadership team.…”