Unions, Solidarity, and Striking

Abstract

Organizationalresources and group solidarityare centralfoci in literatureon social movements generally and worker insurgency specifically. Research, however, seldom deals with both simultaneously and theirpotentialinterrelations. In thisarticle, we examine the complex relationships between union organization and workersolidarity relative to strikeaction. We draw on a data set of 133 content-coded workplace ethnographies and use a combination of qualitative comparative analysis and more standard statistical techniques. Consistent with expectations, results suggest union presence and worker solidarity, in and of themselves, havelittlemeaningfulassociation with strikes. Rather, it is their co-presence that bolsters strikelikelihood. Conversely, a lack of union presence in combination with a lack of collective mobilization history diminishes overall strike potential. We conclude by discussing the implications ofour argument and findings for more general social movement perspectives as well as prior work dealingspecifically with unions, solidarity, and collective resistance.The relative importance attributed to organizational resources, on the one hand, and collective identity processes and related cultural, emotional, and cognitive dynamics, on the other, represent somewhat distinct approaches to understanding social movement emergence and success (see Jenkins 1983; Polletta & Jasper 2001; Taylor & Whittier 1992). Although few would argue with the point that both organizational resources and internal activist solidarity are necessary, little research explicitly considers their joint impact. This may be a function of theoretical and, thus, empirical prioritization -prioritization, in the case of resource mobilization theorists, on organizational presence and '"We are grateful for the helpful comments and suggestions ofthe editor and anonymous reviewers of Social Forces. Direct correspondence to Marc Dixon,

When believing in the union is (not) enough: The role of threat and norms in intentions to act on union legitimacy and efficacy beliefs

“…This is supported by evidence for the importance of union presence (Dixon, Roscigno, & Hodson, 2004) and social networks in the workplace (Davis, McAdam, Scott, & Zald, 2005). Such evidence is typically explained in terms of coercion or 'rational' calculations of the likelihood of success.…”

“Taking on Corporate Bullies”: Cintas, Laundry Workers, and Organizing in the 1930s and Twenty-First Century

“…3 Union organizing campaigns are most likely to succeed when they are able to tap into preexisting worker networks and when they develop grievance frames that resonate with the workers' experiences and established identities (Dixon and Roscigno 2003;Dixon, Roscigno, and Hodson 2004;Rubin, Griffin, and Wallace 1983;Benford and Snow 2000). This article considers how networks of solidarity have been either built or impeded at the shop floor level among laundry workers in the 1930s and at Cintas today and how the presence or absence of solidarity influenced the union campaigns.…”

Manufacturing Dissent: Labor Revitalization, Union Summer and Student Protest

“…A considerable body of research demonstrates that organizations can significantly aid in protest mobilization (Dixon et al 2004;Jenkins 1983;McAdam 1982McAdam , 1988McCammon 2001;McCarthy and Zald 1977;Morris 1981;Taylor 1989), yet few studies have followed up on McCarthy and Zald's early proposition. One exception is the work of McCammon (2001), which shows how national women's suffrage organizations successfully inspired the formation of chapters throughout the United States by sending recruiters to help mobilize people and by providing resources for mobilization, including speakers, literature and funding.…”