Journal Facts

Journal
Journal of Collective Negotiations
ISSN
2167-7816 (print) 2167-7824 (electronic)
Volume
28
Issue
1
Date
3/1/1999

Article Facts

Title
The Real Difference Between the Old Unionism and the New Unionism: A New Strategy for U.S. Public Sector Unions
DOI
10.2190/WC1U-055U-UDT7-J96B
Author
Victor G. Devinatz
Pages
29-39
Online Date
05/09/2002

Article Links

The Real Difference Between the Old Unionism and the New Unionism: A New Strategy for U.S. Public Sector Unions

Victor G. Devinatz

DOI: 10.2190/WC1U-055U-UDT7-J96B

Abstract

In his book the The New Unionism in the New Society: Public Sector Unionism the Redistributive State, Troy argued that the goal of the "new unionism" (the public sector union movement) is to increase spending on social programs through the redistribution of income from the private to the public sector of the economy. According to Troy, the "old unionism" (the private sector union movement) conflicts with the new unionism specifically over the extent and funding of social programs. Despite this alleged philosophical difference, Troy s book fails to distinguish the real difference between the old and the new unionism, which is centered on using different strategies toward goal attainment. This article describes a potentially successful new unionist strategy and evaluates its effectiveness and limitations in a number of public sector union strikes. The article concludes that this specific strategic orientation may contribute to future public sector union success.

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