Abstract
Written with passion that could only come from a long-time activist and advocate, Only One Thing Can Save Us is a healthy and much-needed injection of criticism into the intellectual debate on the future of the labor movement. Geoghegan’s new book describes, from a practitioner’s point of view, how American workers, who once enjoyed the highest living standard in the world, arrived at their current state of declining wages, little bargaining power, and virtually no voice in the workplace. Geoghegan tears down the typical Democratic Party solutions to these problems as politically safe half-measures that do not connect with our core problem: the absence of a robust labor movement. Although the policy prescription for our ailing middle class is worker empowerment and union activism, the unions themselves are not spared from Geoghegan’s criticism for their unfocused and defensive strategy.
The book begins with a description of work-life today and its precipitous decline from the social contract of past generations. The political economic pressures are well-covered by many other books in the labor studies discipline: deunionization, the trade deficit, fissured employment, and deskilled workforce. Although many other authors have diagnosed these same problems in the U.S. labor market, Geoghegan contends that the common theme is worker disempowerment.
The solutions from mainstream Democrats are lacking, according to Geoghegan. Promoting higher education has been the noncontroversial solution proposed by centrist Democrats. However, rising student debt and the lack of quality jobs have made this policy a failure for most of the working class.
Geoghegan promotes the German apprenticeship model as the main avenue of postsecondary education. The German apprenticeship model could not exist on its own but instead relies upon other labor-backed institutions. If implemented in the United States, it would require a sweeping shift in corporate governance and labor law.
Geoghegan argues that only a broad-based labor movement, either from traditional unions or new organizations, can solve the social problems of low wages, trade imbalance, and low democratic participation. He outlines broad labor law reforms that focus on the rights of workers over rights of unions as institutions. Geoghegan’s recommendations for transformative policy change are creative, logical, and can be implemented through a variety of different avenues. He suggests passing state laws requiring elected employees on the boards of nonprofits or offering lower tax rates to for-profit companies that follow suit. Additionally, unions could push for legislatively or judicially repealing Taft-Hartley provisions regarding secondary strikes and boycotts.
Outside of the changes to labor and corporate law, the labor movement can still change the policy discussion and lead successful campaigns by using the corporate policies (and international union support) of foreign companies to organize unions and works councils. Geoghegan also concurs with Charles Morris, author of The Blue Eagle at Work, in promoting the concept of “members-only” unions to organize across whole industries regardless of whether a union has a majority within a shop.
Geoghegan also raises the trade-offs that may need to be considered if some of his other policy ideas are to be enacted, namely, accepting right-to-work legislation nationwide. Although right-to-work laws in our current environment are incredibly damaging to unions’ ability to organize and function sustainably, they may be acceptable in a different policy environment and, indeed, may be the only way to pass meaningful reform. Goeghegan contends that the difficulty unions as institutions would face due to open shops would be outweighed by the expansion of both collective and individual employee rights.
Thomas Geoghegan’s self-deprecating wit makes this book an easy read and describes a hopeful path forward for the American labor movement. Only One Thing Can Save Us is a vivid description of the American worker in a time of a weak labor movement and the tangible reforms that could rebuild the middle class. This book is meant for students, teachers, and activists who search for the diagnosis and the treatment for the ailing labor movement.