The inspiring story of worker centers that are cropping up across the country and leading the fight for today's workers For over 60 million people, work in America has been a story of declining wages, insecurity, and unsafe conditions, especially amid the coronavirus epidemic. This new and troubling reality has galvanized media and policymakers, but all the while a different and little-known story of rebirth and struggle has percolated just below the surface. On the Job is the first account of a new kind of labor movement, one that is happening locally, quietly, and among our country's most vulnerable-but essential-workers. Noted public health expert Celeste Monforton and award-winning journalist Jane M. Von Bergen crisscrossed the country, speaking with workers of all backgrounds and uncovering the stories of hundreds of new, worker-led organizations (often simply called worker centers) that have successfully achieved higher wages, safer working conditions and on-the-job dignity for their members. On the Job describes ordinary people finding their voice and challenging power: from housekeepers in Chicago and Houston; to poultry workers in St. Cloud, Minnesota, and Springdale, Arkansas; and construction workers across the state of Texas. An inspiring book for dark times, On the Job reveals that labor activism is actually alive and growing-and holds the key to a different future for all working people.

The concept of pay for performance for public school teachers is growing in popularity and use, and it has resurged to once again occupy a central role in education policy. "Performance Incentives: Their Growing Impact on American K-12 Education" offers the most up-to-date and complete analysis of this promising --yet still controversial --policy innovation.

"Performance Incentives" brings together an interdisciplinary team of experts, providing an unprecedented discussion and analysis of the pay-for-performance debate by

- Identifying the potential strengths and weaknesses of tying pay to student outcomes;

- Comparing different strategies for measuring teacher accomplishments;

- Addressing key conceptual and implemen - tation issues;

- Describing what teachers themselves think of merit pay;

- Examining recent examples in Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, and Texas;

- Studying the overall impact on student achievement.

Contrary to the explanations offered by the theory of non-reflexive, path-dependent institutionalism, the U.S. and the German automotive industries undertook strikingly similar patterns of industry modification under tough international competition during the 1990s, departing from their traditional national patterns. By investigating the processes of the U.S. and German adjustments, the author critically reconsiders the prevalent paradigms of political economy and comes to the conclusion that the evidence does not confirm the neoliberal paradigm. In order to better account for the recomposition of new market relations, which the author terms "converging but non-liberal" and "diverging but not predetermined" markets, he proposes an alternative model of "politics among reflexive agents," emphasizing different kinds of problem-solving practices among those reflexive agents. He argues that different forms and regimes of market are established in the process of recomposition, in which agents reflect upon not only market rationality but also upon their own institutions, creating new norms.

First published in 1995. During the late 1980s and early 1990s the American economy again became immersed in a recession. Consequently, it became very likely that the quality of employment generated during this period would suffer, and the situation of the labor force would be expected to worsen. The study of labor force stratification can illuminate ways in which the American working class is segmented, as well as the relation to other social problems like poverty and delinquency. In this book, the author explores underemployment, an arguably more accurate measure of labor force hardship than unemployment, amongst several demographic groups. This study will be of interest to students of both economics and sociology.

First published in 1987. Unemployment is currently the major economic concern in developed economies. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the economics of unemployment. It concentrates on theories of the labour market and examines the critical inter-relationships with the rest of the economy. It provides a thorough evaluation of theory and extensive consideration of the relevant empirical evidence. It emphasises the multi-causal nature of unemployment and concludes that policy-makers should respond with a multi-faceted mix of policies.

First published in 1969. This book analyses the role of Unemployment Insurance in a high-employment economy. It emphasises the social requirements of an income-maintenance scheme in the context of various economic policies, particularly government intervention in the labour market. The authors discuss other related problems including the relationship between Unemployment Insurance and redundancy compensation and the question of selectivity in social security. This book provides a case study in a field bordering labour economics, public finance and social policy and will be useful as a textbook for both economists and sociologists, illustrating the relevance of economic analysis to social welfare policy. It offers comparisons of Unemployment Insurance in several European countries with the British scheme and in their final chapter the authors make important suggestions for policy changes in the structure of British Unemployment Insurance and in social security generally.

To better understand how strong worker protection systems differ from weak ones, this volume reports and interprets a study carried out in six nations-Sweden, Finland, The German Democratic Republic, The Federal Republic of Germany, The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America. The work involved interviews with reputational leaders of different interest groups as well as observations, extensive document study and correspondence with key informants.

Where to start when recounting a career spanning over sixty years which included some of the most significant disputes in the history of U.S. labor management relations? Horvitz starts with lessons learned at his famous father's knee. The father, Aaron Horvitz, was a pioneering labor arbitrator whose name is known and respected by anyone who has ever been seriously involved in the field of labor relations. The story takes off on its own trajectory when Horvitz engages as a young management player in dramatic and sometimes bizarre plant disputes in Bayonne and Perth Amboy, N.J., and Rome, N.Y., and then dives into the enormous labor problems arising from the introduction of containerization on the West Coast waterfront where he meets some of the most colorful figures in labor history and provides snatches of conversation and hilarious stories of their interactions. Horvitz then transports us to the East Coast and a stint in the Carter Administration as the nation's top mediator only to find himself thrust into some of the longest longshore and coal strikes in recent history and a colorful but nonetheless near-disastrous dispute at the Metropolitan Opera. Ultimately, he finds himself up to the eyeballs in the deregulation and disruption of the airlines industry, airline mergers, and the convoluted problems caused by the outmoded cost structure of the nation's railroads. A gifted storyteller, Horvitz gives us a front row seat throughout his lively saga, remembers the most delicious details, and tells only the best stories. While a long term member of the management fraternity, he nonetheless includes an impassioned and articulate argument for the revitalization and restructuring of the now-diminished art of collective bargaining in the global economy.

First published in 1920. This study examines the science of industrial work and the advances in its application to the economic life of the community. The author commences this volume with a brief explanation of the general principles of Theoretical Mechanics which have been applied in the study of the Human Motor. Space has also been devoted to the explanation of the laws of thermo-dynamics and of the Conservation of Energy. These provide the reader with the means by which muscular work and fatigue can be measured. This title will be of interest to students of economics and business.

First published in 1987. This fascinating study provides an understanding of the failings of the post-war era of active macroeconomic policy-making, and only by a better comprehension of past failings can we hope to provide the successful policies for the present and future. The book takes as its primary bench mark an analysis of Keynes's conception of the wages problem at or near full employment in The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money. It then depicts the developments in official thinking and policy with regard to this problem as the confidence in Keynesian principles waxed and waned over the period.

First published in 1991. The connection between housing and work is one of the most discussed yet least understood aspects of modern society. Housing and Labour Markets explores the different ways in which housing and labour are linked and examines their central significance in many of the key changes in society today. It provides a wide-ranging analysis of the relationships between housing and labour markets, with accounts of the different forms of work, paid and unpaid, in which various types of households are engaged. This edited collection addresses the varied impact of restructuring in both housing and labour markets in different localities and regions, including contributions from the USA and Australia. By making an important input into the growing debate over the inks between home and work, this book shows the direction in which the debate should go, draws out the principal lines of connection and suggests a way forward. The issues addressed in Housing and Labour Markets will be of interest to a wide range of social science disciplines, especially urban studies, economics, sociology, geography and planning. Local government officers in housing and planning will also find it makes an invaluable contribution to developing links between housing and the workplace.

First published in 1970. This book is concerned with the examination and assessment of the impact of changes in technology on companies in three selected industries: printing, steel and chemicals. Its main focus is on the employment and associated labour market effects of technological change; but part of the rationale for the study as a whole has been to relate these effects to the technological environment of each industry. Accordingly, a good deal of attention has been paid to the character of the innovations themselves and to their implications for the industries in general terms. This title will be of interest to students of Business Studies and Economics.

Culture is not new to the study of migration. It has lurked beneath the surface for some time, occasionally protruding openly into the discussion, usually under some pseudonym. The authors of the papers in this volume bring culture into the open. They are concerned with how culture manifests itself in the migration process for three groups of actors: the migrants, those remaining in the sending areas, and people already living in the recipient locations. The topics vary widely. What unites the authors is an understanding that though actors behave differently, within a group there are economically important shared beliefs (customs, values, attitudes, etc.), which we commonly referred to as culture. Culture plays a central role in our understanding of migration as an economic phenomenon. While the papers in this volume occasionally touch on this diversity and the conflicts it engenders, this is not the focus of the volume. Here the emphasis is on the distinctions in culture between migrants, the families they left behind, and the local population in the migration destination. The new interactions directly affect all three groups. Assimilation is one result; separation is also a possibility. Location choice, workplace interaction, enclave size, the opportunity for the migrant obtaining credit in their new country, the local population's reaction to migrants, the political culture of the migrants and local population, links to the country-of-origin, and the economic state of the host country, all contribute to the classic conflict between assimilation and separation. This volume will consider different aspects of the process of assimilation considering the affect on the migrants themselves, on the local population, on the families left at the home country and others.

First published in 1983. This text is designed to enable intermediate and advanced students to attain familiarity with the theoretical concepts used in labour market analysis, and to apply them fruitfully to the economic problem of labour markets. Each chapter of Section I deals with a different theoretical development of the basic labour market model of utility maximising labour supply and the marginal productivity theory of labour demand. In addition, the authors discuss in depth uncharted territory including the analysis of uncertainty and discrimination in labour markets and advances in human capital theory, in each case covering the implications both for equity and the efficient allocation of resources. Each chapter of Section II analyses an important economic problem - for instance wage determination, unemployment and inflation - using the theoretical insights derived from Section I. The contributions of different theoretical developments are assessed by reference to the current state of empirical research into labour market problems. This book stresses the interaction between labour market mechanisms and also between market and non-market forces in the belief that this will lead to a greater understanding of the operation of the labour market than can be gained by viewing each theoretical development in isolation from the others.

This volume includes theoretical and empirical research into changing institutions and employee participation. Topics covered in this title include: the experience with employee ownership in relation to the fast change of institutions in transitional countries including those in Eastern Europe, the Former Soviet Union, and China; the influence of the specific institutional setting on development; e.g. for the Mondragon Group of coops or the Italian Cooperative Associations, development as affected both by the institutional structure within the group and the surrounding institutions; and, the influence of legislation in different countries of conditions for the development of different types of employee participation. It includes: the re-shaping of the role of the employees as company stakeholders and the impact of these changes on employee motivation, effort and productivity; the impact of new employee incentive schemes, reward structures or other incentive mechanisms (if any) on firm productivity and financial performance; evidence of the implementation and effects of the 'employee share-ownership education'; and, the impact of different informal institutions (culture) on the development and performance of different forms of employee participation.

The last available census estimated around 10 per cent of total urban working women in India are concentrated in the low paid domestic services such as cleaning, cooking, and taking care of the children and the elderly. This is found to be much higher in certain parts of India, emerging as the single most important avenue for urban females, surpassing males in the service since the 1980s. By applying an imaginative and refreshing mix of disciplinary approaches ranging from economic models of the household, empirical analysis and literary conventions, this book analyses the changing labour economy in post-partition West Bengal. It explains how and why women and girl children have replaced this traditionally male bias in the gender segregated domestic service industry since the late 1940s, and addresses the question of whether this increase in vulnerable individuals working in domestic service, the growth of the urban professional middle class in the post liberalization period, and the increasing incidences of reported abuses of domestics, in urban middleclass homes in the recent years, are related. Covering five decades of the history of gender and labour in India, this book will be of interest to scholars working in the fields of gender and labour relations, development studies, economics, history, and women and gender studies.

First published in 1978. In spite of the wide recognition of Hong Kong's successful growth record, little is known about the impact that rapid industrialisation has had on income distribution. The transformation of an entrepot economy into an industrial one has been accompanied by a transition from a labour surplus to a labour shortage economy, which has had a profound influence on the distribution of income by size. The effect has been channelled through a number of variables such as the composition of employment by industry, occupational structure, labour force participation rate and wage structure. All these changes have, moreover, owed much to the existence of a market mechanism which has been virtually free from government intervention. Beginning with a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of the various characteristics of employment and the labour force on household income distribution, this study assesses the impact of Hong Kong's industrialisation and employment growth on its income distribution. Through an analysis of the changes in industrial and occupational structures, employment status, household size, labour participation rate, inflow of labour and wage and employment structures, it considers not only how income distribution alters with economic development, but also the mechanism that has brought about these changes. The redistribution effect of government activities is examined and the incidence of particular taxes to different income groups is apportioned to give a clear overall picture. Finally, the benefits obtained from government expenditures on housing, education and health are measured and are allocated to different income groups, illustrating how this has appreciably reduced income inequality in Hong Kong.

This book provides a comparative analysis of the social, economic, industrial and migration dynamics that structure women's paid work and unpaid care work experience in the Asia-Pacific region. Each country-focused chapter examines the formal and informal ways in which work and care are managed, the changing institutional landscape, gender relations and fertility concerns, employer and trade union responses and the challenges policy makers face and the consequences of their decisions for working women. By covering the entire region, including Australia and New Zealand, the book highlights the way different national work and care regimes are linked through migration, with wealthier countries looking to their poorer neighbours for alternative sources of labour. In addition, the book contributes to debates about the barriers to women's participation in the workforce, the valuation of unpaid care, the gender wage gap, social protection and labour regulation for migrant workers and gender relations in developing Asia.

The book investigates Greek industrial relations in a global context at different periods. Combining sociological, institutional, political and social aspects, it discusses industrial relations from statism that prevailed up to the '80s, to policies after the early '90s requesting modernisation and democratic neocorporatism. It also analyzes the dramatic overthrow of the institutional and real balance in the labour market after the conclusion of the Memorandum with the E.U. and I.M.F. and the great recession of the last six years.

First published in 1985. In this remarkable book, the author has compiled a large collection of resource material that will be of benefit to the student as well as the practitioner of equal employment and affirmative action (EEO/AA). This book includes a broad scope of information on EEO/AA from its infancy and progresses through its rapidly changing and developing stages. Indeed, this book will be an invaluable asset in easily acquiring and supplementing one's basic knowledge as well as providing a general overview of the subject area.

First published in 1986. This book analyses, at an introductory level, the four main and competing political interpretations of the cause of unemployment and the future of paid work - social democracy, free market liberalism, the disciplinary state, and utopian socialism. Considered together these four interpretations are highly revealing - and challenging. They raise considerable doubts about the viability or desirability of policies design to 'get the jobless back to work'. Keane and Owens' central argument is that the post-war policy of full male employment, as well as its politic, economic and social preconditions, are not repeatable, Starting with Keynes and Beveridge, they explain how and why full employment welfare states developed in Britain and the US, and how they had in turn been replaced by the 'strong state, free market' programmes of Thatcher and Reagan. By focusing on an issue which was, and still is, at the heart of political debate, the book provides a lucid and approachable guide to four key strands of political thought it Britain and the US. It will be an ideal introductory text for students of politics, sociology and economics.

This book provides an original contribution to contemporary research surrounding the environmental, humanitarian and socio-political crises associated with contemporary capitalism. Reimagining Labor for a Sustainable Future is guided by the assertion that new systems are always preceded by new ideas and that imagination and experimentation are central in this process. Given the vast terrain of capitalism - processes, institutions, and stakeholders - Vogelaar and Dasgupta have selected labour as the point of engagement in the study of capitalist and alternative imaginaries. In order to demonstrate the importance of labour in rethinking and restructuring our world economy, the authors examine three diverse community projects in Scotland, India and the United States. They reveal the nuanced ways in which each community engages in commoning practices that re-center social reproduction and offer more expansive views of labour that challenge the neoliberal capitalist imaginary. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of sustainable economics, labour studies and sustainable development.

For the past two decades efforts to halt the decline in union numbers and revitalize the labour movement have largely resided in social movement unionism (SMU). In the first English-language book to compare SMU in Japan, Korea and the United States, scholars from the three countries examine its emergence as a response to neoliberal globalization. Cross-National Comparisons of Social Movement Unionism moves beyond previous studies of SMU and union revitalization which have focussed on the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. The eleven chapters offer empirical and theoretical analyses of the impact of SMU on existing labour movements, and explain the mediating factors that account for the diversity of SMU across national boundaries, arguing that its forms and activities are mediated by different institutional, political and economic contexts.

In the second half of the 1980s Japan has emerged as one of the new major destination countries for migrants from Asia. The migrant labour pool was then joined by Japanese descendants from South American countries in the 1990s. Japan's policy of keeping the labour market closed to foreign unskilled workers has remained unchanged despite the 1990 immigration policy reform, which met the growing need for unskilled labour not by opening the 'front-door' to unskilled workers but by letting them in through intentionally-provided 'side-doors'. This book throws light on various aspects of migration flows to Japan and the present status of migrant workers as conditioned by Japan's immigration control system. The analysis aims to explore how the massive arrival of migrants affected Japan's immigration policy and how the policy segmented the foreign labour market in Japan.

First published in 1990. This edited work brings together a collection of studies, by an international team of contributors, on inter-urban migration, which is largely dominated by labour migration. The structure of the book reflects the interaction of the supply and demand of labour and the information flows that make this possible. The book offers a multi-dimensional analysis of labour migration, including behavioural, economic and institutional approaches. It combines various scales of analysis, including the national scale, the occupational scale and the household scale. The study also examines labour migration in a variety of national contexts. It will be of particular value to professional geographers, economists and sociologists with an interest in the distribution of population and the labour force, planners with responsibility for the development of policy and some final year graduate students.