IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/brjirl/v59y2021i2p370-397.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does Modernizing Union Administrative Practices Promote or Hinder Union Revitalization? A Comparative Study of US, UK and Australian Unions

Author

Listed:
  • Paul F. Clark
  • Greg J. Bamber
  • Paul V. Whitehead
  • Lois S. Gray
  • Sandra Cockfield
  • Kay Gilbert

Abstract

Can a union be both democratic and administratively efficient, or are these goals always at odds? Building on the Webbs’ focus on this critical question, this article analyses and compares the changing administrative policies and practices of US, UK and Australian trade unions over a 25‐year period. We conducted surveys of unions in all three countries to gather information on union policies and practices involving the unions’ human resources, hiring, budgeting and strategic planning. Using these novel longitudinal data, we contribute to industrial relations scholarship by showing that unions have increasingly adopted formal, systematic practices in these areas. The article is grounded in theory and also has practical relevance given the important implications that our findings may have for the revitalization of unions in the three countries and beyond.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul F. Clark & Greg J. Bamber & Paul V. Whitehead & Lois S. Gray & Sandra Cockfield & Kay Gilbert, 2021. "Does Modernizing Union Administrative Practices Promote or Hinder Union Revitalization? A Comparative Study of US, UK and Australian Unions," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 59(2), pages 370-397, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:brjirl:v:59:y:2021:i:2:p:370-397
    DOI: 10.1111/bjir.12526
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/bjir.12526
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/bjir.12526?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Paul Wlllman & Alan Cave, 1994. "The Union of the Future: Super-Unions or Joint Ventures?," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 32(3), pages 395-412, September.
    2. Michael Terry, 1996. "Negotiating the Government of Unison: Union Democracy in Theory and Practice," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 34(1), pages 87-110, March.
    3. Rémi Bourguignon & Karel Yon, 2018. "The Political Effects of Accounting Normalization on Trade Unions: An Analysis of Financial Transparency Reform in France," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 56(2), pages 418-441, June.
    4. Rémi Bourguignon & Karel Yon, 2018. "The Political Effects of Accounting Normalization on Trade Unions: An Analysis of Financial Transparency Reform in France," Post-Print hal-02020980, HAL.
    5. Brian Towers, 1989. "Running the Gauntlet: British Trade Unions under Thatcher, 1979–1988," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 42(2), pages 163-188, January.
    6. Jack Barbash, 1968. "American Unionism: From Protest to Going Concern," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 2(1), pages 45-59, March.
    7. Kelly,John & Heery,Edmund, 1994. "Working for the Union," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521383202, September.
    8. Paul F. Clark, 1989. "Organizing the Organizers: Professional Staff Unionism in the American Labor Movement," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 42(4), pages 584-599, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sakhela Buhlungu & Mick Brookes & Geoffrey Wood, 2008. "Trade Unions and Democracy in South Africa: Union Organizational Challenges and Solidarities in a Time of Transformation," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 46(3), pages 439-468, September.
    2. Adrien Thomas, 2017. "Conglomerate Unions and Transformations of Union Democracy," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 55(3), pages 648-671, September.
    3. David Peetz & Barbara Pocock, 2009. "An Analysis of Workplace Representatives, Union Power and Democracy in Australia," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 47(4), pages 623-652, December.
    4. Heather Connolly, 2020. "‘We just get a bit set in our ways’: renewing democracy and solidarity in UK trade unions," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 26(2), pages 207-222, May.
    5. Edmund Heery & John Kelly, 1994. "Professional, Participative and Managerial Unionism: An Interpretation of Change in Trade Unions," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 8(1), pages 1-22, March.
    6. Jenny Kwai‐Sim Leung & Kieran James & Razvan V. Mustata & Carmen Giorgiana Bonaci, 2010. "Trade union strategy in Sydney's construction union: a Roman Catholic perspective," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 37(7), pages 488-511, June.
    7. Geraint Harvey & Andy Hodder & Stephen Brammer, 2017. "Trade union participation in CSR deliberation: an evaluation," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(1), pages 42-55, January.
    8. Christian Lévesque & Gregor Murray, 2010. "Understanding union power: resources and capabilities for renewing union capacity," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 16(3), pages 333-350, August.
    9. Richard Freeman & Jeffrey Pelletier, 1990. "The Impact of Industrial Relations Legislation on British Union Density," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 28(2), pages 141-164, July.
    10. Moira Calveley & Geraldine Healy, 2003. "Political Activism and Workplace Industrial Relations in a UK ‘Failing’ School," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 41(1), pages 97-113, March.
    11. Willman, Paul, 2000. "The viability of trade union organisation: a bargaining unit analysis," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 20159, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    12. Melanie Simms, 2013. "Special Issue. Edited by: Gregor Murray, Christian Lévesque, Christian Dufour and Adelheid Hege," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(4), pages 373-388, July.
    13. Gerry Looker, 2019. "Union organising and Full‐time Officers: acquiescence and resistance," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(5-6), pages 517-531, November.
    14. Tim Morris, 1995. "Annual Review Article 1994," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 33(1), pages 117-135, March.
    15. Paul Jonker-Hoffrén, 2013. "The influence of internal union factions on union renewal strategies: the case of the Finnish Paper Workers' Union," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(3), pages 276-295, May.
    16. Rosaria Burchielli & Timothy Bartram, 2007. "What makes organising work? A model of the stages and facilitators of organizing," Working Papers 2007.01, School of Economics, La Trobe University.
    17. A Charlwood & K Hansen & David Metcalf, 2000. "Unions and the Sword of Justice: Unions and Pay Systems, Pay Inequality, Pay Discrimination and Low Pay," CEP Discussion Papers dp0452, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    18. Metcalf, David & Hansen, Kirstine & Charlwood, Andy, 2000. "Unions and the sword of justice: unions and pay systems, pay inequality, pay discrimination and low pay," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 20195, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    19. Jeremy Waddington, 1995. "UK Unions: searching for a new agenda," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 1(1), pages 31-43, January.
    20. Andy Charlwood, 2004. "Influences on Trade Union Organizing Effectiveness in Britain," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 42(1), pages 69-93, March.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:brjirl:v:59:y:2021:i:2:p:370-397. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/lsepsuk.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.