Trade Unionism from Roosevelt to Reagan

Abstract

A half century of union ascendancy in bargaining is possibly coming to an end. Adverse economic and political circumstances are forcing the unions to concede the bargaining initiative to management. It is now the unions that are cast in the reacting role. The management strategies are identified here as positive, hard-line, and normal bargaining. The union counterstrategies are identified as orderly retreat, quid pro quo, political action, organizing, and pension power. As the economic recovery process gets under way there is some question as to whether the outer limits of membership tolerance for concession may not already have been reached.