Unions at the Crossroads - by Marick F Masters (Hardcover)

About the Book

This is a broad assessment of the institutional health of the 28 major national unions in the United States. The membership in the unions and the financial and political resources are examined specifically from 1979 through 1993. The focus on this era is because it contains the 1980s--a time when the unions were assailed from several positions. The fundamental idea in this work is that the resources of the union affect their capacities to undertake a variety of activities, and that the unions have a great deal of institutional strength which is likely to ensure their existence in the future.

Book Synopsis

This is a broad assessment of the institutional health of the 28 major national unions in the United States. The membership in the unions and the financial and political resources are examined specifically from 1979 through 1993. The focus on this era is because it contains the 1980s--a time when the unions were assailed from several positions. The fundamental idea in this work is that the resources of the union affect their capacities to undertake a variety of activities, and that the unions have a great deal of institutional strength which is likely to ensure their existence in the future.

Review Quotes

?Marick Master's book offers a fresh and revealing view of union finances because he disaggregates data for major unions and links their financial condition to their chances for resurgence....Master's book will encourage scholars to take a closer look at these issues, and will serve as their model in designing their studies....His book offers a new and important perspective on the state of the unions. Masters gives the usual prescription for union resurgence--heavy doses of well-funded, innovative organizing--but goes a step further than most writers on the topic by asking whether unions have the wherewithal to do what is asked of them.?-Industrial and Labor Relations Review

?Masters adopts a strategic approach to union activity and analyzes unions in terms of environments, resources, strategies, and outcomes.... This study is an incisive look at the state of the American labor movement and some possibilities for renewal.?-Choice

?This densely fact-laden and theory-rich book challenges the popular misperception that unions are weak institutions hopelessly caught in a downward spiral....The book offers rare insights into how unions manage themselves, adapt to change, and look at economic and political players in the near future....Revealing finds abound....Labor educators have a "must read" volume here.?-Book Reviews

?Though not about negotiation processes or dispute resolution, the information in this book will probably interest negotiators in the labor management arena.?-Negotiation Journal

?Unions at the Crossroads should be a standard reference for professionals in the field and would be a valuable contribution to any graduate seminar studying labor economics, labor organization and organizational change.?-The Government Union Critique

"Masters adopts a strategic approach to union activity and analyzes unions in terms of environments, resources, strategies, and outcomes.... This study is an incisive look at the state of the American labor movement and some possibilities for renewal."-Choice

"This densely fact-laden and theory-rich book challenges the popular misperception that unions are weak institutions hopelessly caught in a downward spiral....The book offers rare insights into how unions manage themselves, adapt to change, and look at economic and political players in the near future....Revealing finds abound....Labor educators have a "must read" volume here."-Book Reviews

"Though not about negotiation processes or dispute resolution, the information in this book will probably interest negotiators in the labor management arena."-Negotiation Journal

"Unions at the Crossroads should be a standard reference for professionals in the field and would be a valuable contribution to any graduate seminar studying labor economics, labor organization and organizational change."-The Government Union Critique

"Marick Master's book offers a fresh and revealing view of union finances because he disaggregates data for major unions and links their financial condition to their chances for resurgence....Master's book will encourage scholars to take a closer look at these issues, and will serve as their model in designing their studies....His book offers a new and important perspective on the state of the unions. Masters gives the usual prescription for union resurgence--heavy doses of well-funded, innovative organizing--but goes a step further than most writers on the topic by asking whether unions have the wherewithal to do what is asked of them."-Industrial and Labor Relations Review

About the Author

MARICK F. MASTERS is Professor of Business Administration at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Masters has written widely on labor issues in several journals.