Harry C. Katz

The Decentralization of Collective Bargaining: A Literature Review and Comparative Analysis

The author reviews evidence that the bargaining structure is becoming more decentralized in Sweden, Australia, the former West Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States, although in somewhat different degrees and ways from country to country. He then examines the various hypotheses that have been offered to explain this significant trend. Shifts in bargaining power, as well as the diversification of corporate and worker interests, have played a part in this change, he concludes, but work reorganization has been more influential still. He also explores how the roles of central unions and corporate industrial relations staffs are challenged by bargaining structure decentralization, and discusses the research gaps on this subject that need to be filled.

Industrial Relations Performance, Economic Performance, and QWL Programs: An Interplant Analysis

This study analyzes the relationship among plant-level measures of industrial relations performance, economic performance, and quality-of-working-life programs. The analysis employs pooled time-series and cross-section data from 18 plants within a division of General Motors for the years 1970–79. The empirical results show strong associations between industrial relations and economic performance measures and limited support for the hypothesis that quality-of-working-life efforts improve both kinds of performance.

Assessing the Effects of Industrial Relations Systems and Efforts to Improve the Quality of Working Life on Organizational Effectiveness

This study assesses the relationships among characteristics of industrial relations systems, efforts to improve the quality of working life, and selected measures of organizational effectiveness in 25 manufacturing plants belonging to one company. On the basis of both research from organizational behavior and industrial relations, the paper offers the proposition that industrial relations systems affect organizational effectiveness through two channels. The empirical results show (1) strong evidence of an association between measures of the performance of industrial relations systems and economic performance, and (2) evidence that efforts to improve quality of working life have little impact on economic performance.

Lean Work: Empowerment and Exploitation in the Global Auto Industry.

Examines the controversial Japanese model of lean production and its impact on work and workers in the global auto industry.

The Revitalization of the Cwa: Integrating Collective Bargaining, Political Action, and Organizing

This case study of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) demonstrates the value of resource dependence and contingency organizational theories—two branches of organization theory, which has most commonly been used to interpret firm behavior—for analyzing union revitalization. Consistent with predictions of those theories, the CWA responded to a changed environment by abandoning strategies that no longer achieved organizational objectives, but retaining and bolstering strategies that continued to be effective. Furthermore, like the organizations analyzed in Jeffrey Pfeffer and Gerald Salanciks classic exposition of resource dependency theory, in the face of heightened environmental complexity and uncertainty the CWA used political action, growth strategies, and inter-organizational linkages to gain advantage. The CWA conformed to another prediction of contingency theory by using an integration strategy—specifically, by making simultaneous and interactive use of activities in collective bargaining, politics, and organizing—to spur innovation and respond to environmental complexity and uncertainty.

The causes and consequences of increased within-country variance in employment practices

No abstract available.

Decentralization of collective bargaining : an analysis of recent experience in the UK

List of Tables - Acknowledgements - List of Abbreviations - Introduction - The Rise and Decline of National Bargaining - The Hosiery and Knitwear Industry: Coats Viyella - Local Government - Retail Food Industry - The Steel Industry - The Water Industry - The Experience of Decentralisation: The Case Studies Explored - Bibliography - Index

Is U.S. Public Sector Labor Relations in the Midst of a Transformation

In this article the author assesses whether a fundamental transformation is underway in public sector (state and local government) labor relations in the United States by revisiting the arguments made by the author and Kochan and McKersie (1986) regarding the transformation of labor relations in the private sector. The author argues that the economic pressures that led to a transformation of private sector labor relations starting in the 1980s have not played a comparable role in recent developments in the public sector because of the political nature of labor relations in that sector. Other insights are drawn from a comparison of recent developments with events that occurred during the mid-1970s, an earlier taxpayer revolt era. The author concludes that a fundamental transformation in public sector labor relations has not occurred, attributable to some degree to the limited decline in public employee union membership and the fact that a majority of the public has favorable attitudes toward public sector employees and union collective bargaining rights. Factors that might lead to such a transformation in the future are highlighted.

The impact of globalization on human resource management and employment relations in the US automobile and banking industries

Globalization clearly affects employment relations, and we expect that it has a differential impact across ‘varieties of capitalism’. In addition, the way globalization influences employment relations is industry specific. In this article, we examine recent changes to four employment relations practices – remuneration systems, job security, work organization and enterprise governance – in the US automotive and banking industries. We compare the changes in these two key industries and consider whether they correspond to the categorization of the US as a liberal market economy (LME). We find evidence of diverse employment relations practices, many of which are not at all typical of LMEs.

Getting it Right: Empirical Evidence and Policy Implications from Research on Public-Sector Unionism and Collective Bargaining

The United States is in the throes of a public-policy debate about public-sector unionism and collective bargaining. The ostensible trigger of this debate is the fiscal crises that state and local governments have been experiencing since 2008. The debate largely centers on the extent to which public employee unions have contributed to this crisis through the pay and benefits they have negotiated for public employees. The role of government as employer is connected in this debate to the role of government as a taxing authority and provider of public services. These roles are often claimed to be in conflict with one another — that is, governments as employers are seen as not exercising the same due diligence in setting pay and benefits as private-sector employers. The research evidence indicates, however, that these claims about public employment are based on incomplete and in some cases inaccurate understanding.