Labor Studies Journal

This article examines the efforts of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) to organize the workers of the NCR Corporation after it had been acquired by AT&T. It documents extreme "union busting" mea sures by the corporation at the same time AT&T was engaged in a "part nership" with the union in the already unionized parts of the parent com pany. Three issues are analyzed from the case: (1) the failure of U.S. labor law to protect workers wishing to organize into unions; (2) impli cations for unions dealing with "union friendly" companies like AT&T; (3) implications for organizing strategy for unions. The article concludes with some thoughts on union organizing and the power relationship be tween unions and large employers in the United States today.

This study examines determinates of two employee behaviors in the union organizing process: pro-union activism in the organizing campaign, and vote for union certification. Using data gathered from six union or ganizing attempts, campaign activism and voting behavior is analyzed in terms of hypotheses drawn from Wheeler's (1985) theory of industrial conflict. Results indicate that support for union certification is influenced by a perceived lack of job security, management's lack of respect for employees, the belief that union representation would be effective, favor able attitudes about unions, and anger at the employer. Few differences were found for union activism and vote, suggesting that distinctive forms of union support are not influenced by different determinants.

Horace Kallen stands as one of a handful of socially and politically active philosophers and educators in the twentieth century. His involve ment in trade union education dates from the early 1920s. Kallen's abid ing commitment to workplace democracy in the 1920s resembles later developments in labor-management cooperation begun in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His contribution to workers' education is of continuing significance for those managers, workers, union leaders, and government officials interested in promoting labor-management cooperation and, more important, preparing working people for the challenge of participating in the decisions that shape their working future.