The 1970s and 1980s

Lecture 1

Administrative

• Reading for next time – all remaining reading on this topic

Review

• In 1960 unionism strong in blue collar and goods producing occupations and industries and weak in white collar and service producing occupations and industries

• Development of collective bargaining by farm workers and teachers

Today

I. Political and Economic Background

II. New Pattern of Strikes and Government Anti-unionism

III. New Patterns of Bargaining

I. Political and Economic Background

• Only four years of Democratic Presidency over this period

• Continued decline of goods producing sectors and rise of services

• Decade of the 1970s was one of economic instability– Issues related to petroleum– Stagflation

II. New Patterns of Strikes and Government Anti-unionism

• The PATCO Strike (1981)– Background– Issues– Outcome

• The Phelps Dodge Dispute (1983)– Background– Issues– Outcome

Strikes

• PATCO dispute indicated hostility of government to unions

• PATCO and Phelps Dodge signaled employers that they could replace strikers with impunity and with the approval of government

• Operating during strike become normal• Threats to close or to replace strikers

became the norm

Striker Replacement

• McKay Radio Doctrine (1937)

• Threats frequently carried out

• Employers often prepared for strikes by arranging replacements in advance

III. New Patterns of Bargaining

• New patterns of strikes left unions with little recourse

• Concession bargaining– Wage freezes and wage and benefit cuts– lump-sum payments– Two-tiered bargaining

Next Time

• New Economy of 1980s and beyond

• Responses of the union movement

• Women in the labor force in the 1970s and 1980s

The 1970s and 1980s

Lecture 2

Administrative

• Reading for next time – Ross, “Sweated Labor in Cyberspace,” in Boris and Lichtenstein

Review

• Anti-labor political environment of 1970s and 1980s and unstable economic environment of 1970s

• New patterns of strikes and government anti-unionism

• Concession bargaining

Today

I. Post-industrial Society

II. Women at work and family life in the 1970s and 1980s

III. White male workers in the 1970s and 1980s

IV. Trade unions

I. Post-Industrial Society

• What is post-industrial society?

• What is the nature of work like in that society?

• What are consumption patterns like in that society?

II. Women at work and family life

• What happened to women’s work patterns in the 1970s and 1980s?

• What happened to patterns of family life?

• Related to decline in fringe benefits, especially health care

“Women’s” Issues at Work

• Interest in childcare/daycare

• Ability to pay for childcare with pre-tax dollars

• Flexible schedules

• Work from home

• Cafeteria benefit plans

III. White Male Workers

• Resentment of programs for women and minorities

• Bakke Case

• Weber Case

• Johnson Case

• Impact of Viet Nam War

IV. Trade Unions

• AFL-CIO– All major unions affiliated– Membership of affiliates continued to decline– Continued to take strong anti-Communist

international position

• New approaches to union organizing– “organizing unionism” – Corporate Campaigns

Next Time

• Begin discussion of the period since 1990