Disintegrating Democracy at Work: Labor Unions and the Future of Good Jobs in the Service Economy

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Virginia Doellgast

Disintegrating Democracy at Work

Labor Unions and the Future of Good Jobs in the Service Economy

Virginia Doellgast

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English

ILR Press
15 February 2012

Sociology & anthropology; Labour economics; Personnel & human resources management; Industrial relations & safety; Trade unions

The shift from manufacturing- to service-based economies has often been accompanied by the expansion of low-wage and insecure employment. Many consider the effects of this shift inevitable. In Disintegrating Democracy at Work, Virginia Doellgast contends that high pay and good working conditions are possible even for marginal service jobs. This outcome, however, depends on strong unions and encompassing collective bargaining institutions, which are necessary to give workers a voice in the decisions that affect the design of their jobs and the distribution of productivity gains.

Doellgast's conclusions are based on a comparative study of the changes that occurred in the organization of call center jobs in the United States and Germany following the liberalization of telecommunications markets. Based on survey data and interviews with workers, managers, and union representatives, she found that German managers more often took the ""high road"" than those in the United States, investing in skills and giving employees more control over their work. Doellgast traces the difference to stronger institutional supports for workplace democracy in Germany. However, these democratic structures were increasingly precarious, as managers in both countries used outsourcing strategies to move jobs to workplaces with lower pay and weaker or no union representation. Doellgast's comparative findings show the importance of policy choices in closing off these escape routes, promoting broad access to good jobs in expanding service industries.

By: Virginia Doellgast
Imprint: ILR Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 19mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9780801477997
ISBN 10: 0801477999
Pages: 277
Publication Date: 15 February 2012
Audience: Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , Undergraduate , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Virginia Doellgast is Lecturer in Comparative Employment Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Reviews for Disintegrating Democracy at Work: Labor Unions and the Future of Good Jobs in the Service Economy

<p> In Disintegrating Democracy at Work, Virginia Doellgast compares the changes in the organization of frontline call center jobs in the United States and Germany. Doellgast conducted nearly three hundred interviews with key informants in both countries and compared the qualitative findings with the quantitative results of an international survey. This is an innovative book; there are not many internationally comparative studies on wages and work organization with such a broad empirical base and such a profound knowledge of institutions and the organization of an industry. -Gerhard Bosch, Universit t Duisburg Essen