Unionism and non-union employee representation: The interwar experience in Canada, Germany, the US and the UK

Patmore, Greg

doi:10.1177/0022185613489398

Cited by 3 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…In the Italian context, such labour movements – backed by the socialist party – generated a period of social instability (1919-1920) characterised by mass strikes and factory occupations (Cinquini, 2007). In the USA, as Kaufman (2014, 2015), Patmore and Rees (2008) and Patmore (2013) have shown, many large employers responded to such problems by initiating workplace and community welfare programmes that they hoped would restore industrial and social order within their businesses and operating environment. A study of 1,600 large US plants, carried out in 1927, found that 24 per cent operated company hospitals, 26 per cent provided employee pension schemes and 43 per cent organised company sporting and athletic programmes (Kaufman, 2015, p. 199).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Interest in “welfare capitalism” gained further ground in the USA following the so-called “Ludlow massacre” in April 1914, when armed conflict erupted between striking coal miners and management on the Colorado coalfields. This conflict turned the principal coal owner, John Rockefeller, Jr, into an ardent advocate of welfare programmes for workers and their families (Patmore, 2013; Patmore and Rees, 2008). After these pioneering initiatives, more followed, promoted by US companies such as Kodak, General Electric, International Harvester, Proctor and Gamble, AT&T, Goodyear and Leeds & Northrup (Kaufman, 2015, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As issues such as workers’ exploitation, poor living conditions and limited level of education are still present in today’s developing countries, the study of early SR practices is deemed to inform modern CSR strategies in these settings. Further contributions to early experiences of SR can also be found in labour history research, especially the investigations on the establishment of welfare and personnel relations programmes in the USA (Patmore, 2013; Patmore and Rees, 2008). Such research revealed how non-union employee representation tools in the USA and Canada during 1920s differed significantly from those in Germany and the UK, with the former’s being union avoidance devices and the latter’s being parallel structures to union organisations (Patmore, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further contributions to early experiences of SR can also be found in labour history research, especially the investigations on the establishment of welfare and personnel relations programmes in the USA (Patmore, 2013; Patmore and Rees, 2008). Such research revealed how non-union employee representation tools in the USA and Canada during 1920s differed significantly from those in Germany and the UK, with the former’s being union avoidance devices and the latter’s being parallel structures to union organisations (Patmore, 2013). In addition, by investigating the Colorado Fuel and Iron’s pioneering welfare capitalist programme and employee representation plan, Patmore and Rees (2008) claimed that such initiatives were apparently giving voice to the employees, whilst they were set to obstruct the growth of trade unions and permit the employers to maintain their authority.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social responsibility in practice: an Italian case from the early 20th century

Leoni

2017

JMH

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Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the ideals informing the social strategy of Marzotto, an Italian family business in the textile industry, during the rise and fall of the fascist regime and to compare it with the main concepts of social responsibility theory that developed from the 1950s onwards. Because Italy at that time was a family-based economy, subject to a dictatorial government, it offers an interesting context of investigation that is similar to various contemporary emerging countries. Design/methodology/approach Using a company’s public social report and various published histories, the historical case study of this Italian family business and its pioneering social strategy is reconstructed. Through the identification of the social practices and the ideals underlying the strategy, the analysis finds similarities and differences with the traditional concepts from social responsibility literature. Findings The study finds that Marzotto’s social strategy traces some dimensions of social responsibility theory for it was a voluntary and discretional act by the business owner; it was based on the necessary balance between economic and social aims; and it was focusing only on social issues. Instead, the “social” spectrum is found to have a different meaning in the Marzotto strategy with respect to the “social” in the traditional theory because it was limited to a local level and limited groups of stakeholders. Practical implications By showing the relevant role of business-owners in social responsibility awareness, this study has implications for contemporary practice. It suggests that the educating business-owners about social responsibility and the development of bottom-up rather than top-down social initiatives will be crucial in contemporary similar contexts. The results also open to new research opportunities on corporate social responsibility in the past to explain contemporary differences among its implementation in different countries. Originality/value The research brings awareness to social responsibility in the past in a context other than traditional Western countries and to its differences and similarities with the established social responsibility framework. It is the first study on past social practices that makes use of primary sources to support the analysis.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social responsibility in practice: an Italian case from the early 20th century

Leoni

2017

JMH

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“…Other labor relations experts question whether employee work groups offer a path to negotiation and contractual relationships, even in countries generally amenable to collective action. Patmore (2013) observes that the debate over non-union employee representation, or NUER, remains inconclusive. He notes:…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Ludlow to Chattanooga and beyond

Hogler

2016

JMH

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of employee representation systems in the USA from the Ludlow Massacre of 1914 up to the events in 2015 at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The study begins with the strike at the Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation which led to the deaths of several women and children. In the aftermath of Ludlow, John D. Rockefeller, Jr, visited the mines in 1915 and persuaded workers that an internal employee representation plan would serve their interests better than an outside trade union. Rockefeller’s influence shaped American industrial relations until the passage of the National Labor Relations (Wagner) Act in 1935, when company unions were outlawed. The ongoing decline of unions and collective bargaining has prompted academic speculation that a return to internal workplace committees might lead to a rejuvenated labor movement in the USA. Design/methodology/approach The study uses both archival materials and secondary sources to construct a narrative of one important element of industrial relations. It explains Wagner’s ban on company unions as a component of his economic agenda. Company unions provided a voice for a firm’s workers, but Wagner believed they were powerless to redistribute corporate wealth. The decline of American unions is so profound that they no longer serve an economic role in our capitalist system, but workers’ voice in the workplace remains an important consideration. Findings The key finding of this paper is that employee representation plans are not merely an industrial relations anachronism but continue to be relevant to today’s workplace. The paper compares an influential representation plan developed in 1914 by John D. Rockefeller, Jr, to current schemes of representation and argues that labor law should be modified to permit modern versions of the older “company unions”. Researchlimitations/implications Works councils play a crucial role in European labor relations, and they could do so in America if labor laws were modified to permit it. An exposition of the deep historical context of representation helps to legitimate the concept. Future research into specific cases, including an international perspective, would add to an understanding of the benefits and costs of representation. Originality/value The originality of this paper is its combination of a historical event and a contemporary case study that brings together a theme present in managerial history for over a century. By emphasizing the aims of Rockefeller, Jr. in 1914 and the objectives of the Volkswagen Company in 2014 in establishing a participatory workplace, we gain a long-term framework through which to evaluate a particular managerial technique. The paper also suggests ways to bring our labor laws into conformance with the idea of employee representation.

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Organizational participation in post-covid society – its contributions and enabling conditions

Child

2020

International Review of Applied Economics

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Unionism and non-union employee representation: The interwar experience in Canada, Germany, the US and the UK

Cited by 3 publications

References 13 publications

Social responsibility in practice: an Italian case from the early 20th century

Social responsibility in practice: an Italian case from the early 20th century

From Ludlow to Chattanooga and beyond

Organizational participation in post-covid society – its contributions and enabling conditions

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