The Power Resources Approach: Developments and Challenges

Schmalz, Stefan; Ludwig, Carmen; Webster, Edward

doi:10.15173/glj.v9i2.3569

Cited by 175 publications

(212 citation statements)

References 57 publications

(34 reference statements)

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“…The approach, or model, identifies four distinct yet inter-related and complementary resources of trade union power: economic-structural, associational-organisational, institutional and societalcommunicative (Gumbrell-McCormick & Hyman, 2013;Lehndorff, Dribbush & Schulten, 2017, Müller & Platzer, 2017Schmalz, Ludwig & Webster, 2018). Economic-structural refers to the ability of the trade unions to exploit the strong position of their members in markets and sectors and to utilise their workplace and industrial power.…”

Section: Trade Unionism and Its Revitalisation: Power Resources And Smentioning

confidence: 99%

The communicative power of trade unionism: labour law, political opportunity structure and social movement strategy

Ioannou¹

2020

IndBez

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This article argues that more emphasis should be paid to the communicative power of trade unionism because it may constitute a starting point or a privileged standpoint which a trade union may use to counter its weakness regarding its other sources of power. Reviewing the trade union revitalisation literature, it is argued that social movement theory in general and especially ‘political opportunity structure’, can complement and enrich the power resources approach which is a useful tool in the analysis of trade union action. The case study of a weak trade union winning a strike largely as a result of its successful utilisation of its communicative power is presented where the public communication of the two sides to the conflict is subjected to content and discourse analysis. The article argues that trade unions can enhance their position through the adaptation of social movement strategy and campaign tactics into trade union activity because social movements are more accustomed to orienting their action in the public sphere. In this effort trade unions may draw upon the more explicitly normative and substantive dimension of labour law as a resource to legitimise and garner support for the unions’ objectives framing in a more expansive manner the issues at stake so that a significant section of society can identify with the trade union struggle at hand.

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Section: Trade Unionism and Its Revitalisation: Power Resources And Smentioning

confidence: 99%

The communicative power of trade unionism: labour law, political opportunity structure and social movement strategy

Ioannou¹

2020

IndBez

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“…Linking agency with the theory of power assists to systematically evaluate success or failure of labor agency and its objectives. I draw from Power Resources Approach, which holds that workers can execute their class struggles through effective collective mobilization of power resources when they contest capital (Schmalz, Ludwig, and Webster 2018, 115). Drawing from various labor experiences (see Schmalz, Ludwig, and Webster 2018), PRA is an approach that examines ability of organized labor to strategically tap from different power resources and articulate workers’ interests and resist capital and the state in the context of debates on trade union renewal.…”

Section: Agency Power and Spacementioning

confidence: 99%

“…I draw from Power Resources Approach, which holds that workers can execute their class struggles through effective collective mobilization of power resources when they contest capital (Schmalz, Ludwig, and Webster 2018, 115). Drawing from various labor experiences (see Schmalz, Ludwig, and Webster 2018), PRA is an approach that examines ability of organized labor to strategically tap from different power resources and articulate workers’ interests and resist capital and the state in the context of debates on trade union renewal. Drawing from Wright’s (2000) and Silver’s (2003) structural power and associational power, Schmalz, Ludwig and Webster (2018) add on institutional power and societal power and show the relationship of these power resources and instances that they can be used by workers, the stte and capital (Brookes 2013).…”

Section: Agency Power and Spacementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Drawing from various labor experiences (see Schmalz, Ludwig, and Webster 2018), PRA is an approach that examines ability of organized labor to strategically tap from different power resources and articulate workers’ interests and resist capital and the state in the context of debates on trade union renewal. Drawing from Wright’s (2000) and Silver’s (2003) structural power and associational power, Schmalz, Ludwig and Webster (2018) add on institutional power and societal power and show the relationship of these power resources and instances that they can be used by workers, the stte and capital (Brookes 2013). These sources of power enable workers to have capacity to do something, but at the same time, this power is relational because employers can also deploy it to exert their interests (Levesque and Murray 2010).…”

Section: Agency Power and Spacementioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluation of Labor Agency Strategy: The Case of a Strike at a South African Opencast Mine in 2012

Mashayamombe

2019

Labor Studies Journal

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The South African mining sector has experienced labor conflicts characterized by militancy and violence. Militancy and violence was evident along South Africa’s platinum belt between 2012 and 2014. In the case of Huntington mine, about three hundred workers managed to pull a spectacular strike action when they captured mine equipment and threatened to destroy it if their demands were not met. Drawing together concepts of space, power, and agency, it is argued that the wildcat strike was a failure because power resources were not consolidated and used effectively. As a result, their demands were not met, and they lost their jobs at Huntington mine.

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“…dimensões e estratégias de revitalização (FREGE e KELLY, 2004). No presente caso, optou-se por utilizar o referencial teórico dos recursos de poder, que combina a noção de "escolha estratégica" dos sindicatos com os diferentes recursos de poder -estrutural, associativo, institucional e social -que este possui e pode acionar num determinado momento (SCHMALZ e DORRE, 2014;SCHMALZ, LUDWIG e WEBSTER, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Os Recursos De Poder Do Sindicalismo Português

Dias¹

2019

ABET

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As transformações ocorridas nas últimas três décadas produziram um contexto global que é particularmente adverso à ação sindical. Mas no caso dos países do sul da Europa – países periféricos integrados na zona Euro – o período mais recente, caracterizado pela implementação de políticas de austeridade, constitui um marco essencial que buscou efetuar mudanças estruturais na esfera das relações de trabalho. O presente trabalho pretende estudar a evolução do movimento sindical português utilizando o quadro teórico dos recursos de poder. O estudo está dividido em quatro partes: primeiro, fornece-se uma visão panorâmica da economia, relações de trabalho e sindicalismo; segundo, analisa-se o processo de integração europeia assimétrica e a implementação das políticas de austeridade (2011-2015); terceiro, estuda-se o novo contexto político produzido pelas eleições legislativas de 4 de outubro de 2015; por fim, avançam-se algumas considerações sobre a evolução dos recursos de poder do sindicalismo português.

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The Power Resources Approach: Developments and Challenges

Cited by 175 publications

References 57 publications

The communicative power of trade unionism: labour law, political opportunity structure and social movement strategy

The communicative power of trade unionism: labour law, political opportunity structure and social movement strategy

Evaluation of Labor Agency Strategy: The Case of a Strike at a South African Opencast Mine in 2012

Os Recursos De Poder Do Sindicalismo Português

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