Cross-National Comparisons of Social Movement Unionism : Diversities of Labour Movement Revitalization in Japan, Korea and the United States

Labour movements in advanced industrialized countries have suf fereda decline in membership and density and a weakened presence in theirrespective societies. The decline of organized labour is particularly pro-nounced in Liberal Market Economy countries (LMEs) where institutionalarrangements regulating industrial relations and government social policieshave weakly mediated the impact of neoliberal globalization on labourmovements. Trade unions have continued losing members as they fail tokeep up with the increasing speed of capital mobility when, for instance,companies in manufacturing industries, unions’ traditional base, relo-cate plants overseas. Unions have suf fered further loss of members fromsubcontracting/out-sourcing of business activities in domestic-orientedindustries and the privatization of publicly-owned enterprises. Moreover,neoliberal states have created hostile environments for labour movements,for example, by deregulating labour markets and reforming industrial rela-tions institutions in order to undermine the position of trade unions aslegitimate representatives of workers’ collective interests. Contents Acknowledgements 1 Introduction: Theoretical and Empirical Issues of Cross-national Comparisons of Social Movement Unionism • Akira Suzuki Part One: The Impact of Social Movement Unionism on Existing Labour Movements 2 The Power of the Powerless: New Schemas and Resources for Organizing Workers in Neoliberal Times • Jennifer Jihye Chun 3 The Limits and Possibilities of Social Movement Unionism in Japan in the Context of Industrial Relations Institutions • Akira Suzuki 4 A Renewal of Solidarity or Continued Decline? The Korean Retail Workers’ Struggles against Neoliberalism • Joohee Lee Part Two: Social Movement Unionism from a Cross-national Perspective 5 The Diversity of Social Movement Unionism: Towards a Cross-National, Comparative Framework • Nobuyuki Yamada 6 Varieties of Community Unionism: A Comparison of Community Unionism in Japan and Korea • Minjin Lee Part Three: Meso-level Mediating Factors Explaining the Diversities of Social Movement Unionism 7 Labour and Community Coalitions: Challenges for Growth • Stephanie Luce 8 Political Activism and Union Revivalin Australia, the United States and Japan • Charles Weathers 9 Women’s Labour NPOs and Women’s Trade Unions in Japan • Koshi Endo 10 Success While Others Fail: Union Strategy against Railway Restructuring in South Korea • Heiwon Kwon 11 The Formation of a Region-based Amalgamated Union Movement and Its Possibilities • Hirohiko Takasu Appendix Notes on Contributors and Translators Index 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. Moves beyond previous studies of SMU and union revitalization which have focussed on the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. In this book, the eleven chapters offer empirical and theoretical analyses of the impact of SMU on existing labour movements.