craft unionism, 69 industrial unionism. 85 PATCO strike, 94 1. Nonunion Application. The history…
craft unionism, 69 industrial unionism. 85 PATCO strike, 94
1. Nonunion Application. The history of labor relations and the history of human resource management are inseparable. Nonunion managers can therefore learn a lot about what workers want and about the pros and cons of alternative human resource management strategies by understanding labor history. Reflect back upon the events and labor organ- izations presented in this chapter and identify some reactions of workers and of labor unions to employers’ practices and strategies. Next, describe how these reactions inspired a new generation of human resource management strategies.
2. How are the lyrics of “Solidarity Forever” (p. 83) consistent with the IWW’s beliefs? How is it ironic that today’s mainstream unions have adopted this song as their own? What parts of the lyrics would today’s mainstream unions agree with?
3. Look at the reasons listed by employers for being nonunion in the open shop handout in Figure 3.3. How would an AFL leader have responded to these reasons? Is the open shop movement consistent with today’s human resource management approach?
4. Describe how the Knights of Labor, the American Federation of Labor, and the Indus- trial Workers of the World differed in their views of efficiency, equity, and voice. How about employers? What were their views of efficiency, equity, and voice during the open shop movement? Did these views change during the period of welfare capitalism?
5. The AFL, IWW, and CIO were all created out of frustration with the existing dominant form of unionism at the time. Explain. What does this imply about the future of U.S. unionism?
6. It’s been written, “The attempt of persons to understand the forces remaking their world and, by organization, to control them, constitutes, indeed, the major motif of the social history of the late 19th century.” Describe how this statement applies to workers and their unions in different periods of labor history. How were employers more successful than employees in controlling these forces through creating and shap- ing their organizations?
