1. Does fighting back still matter? The Canadian autoworkers, capitalist crisis and confrontation
- Author
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Fowler, Tim
- Subjects
General Motors Co. -- Reorganization and restructuring ,Chrysler L.L.C. -- Reorganization and restructuring ,Automobile industry -- Reorganization and restructuring ,Collective bargaining ,Company organization ,Automobile Industry ,Company restructuring/company reorganization ,Economics ,Canadian Auto Workers - Abstract
This article examines the round of collective bargaining that took place between the Canadian Autoworkers (CAW), Canada's largest private-sector union, and the 'Big Three' auto manufacturers (Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors) during the most recent crisis of capitalism (sometimes popularly referred to as the 'Great Recession'). During this round of bargaining, the union made concessions in order to secure production; the article argues what while this may have represented a short-term success, in the long run the union has implicitly bought into the logics of neoliberalism, which will have disastrous consequences for both the union and the larger labour movement. Keywords Union renewal, neoliberalism, capitalist crisis, autoworkers, Introduction The Canadian Auto Workers union (CAW) is Canada's largest private-sector union. The CAW has a proud tradition of union militancy dating back from its forming in 1985, when the [...]
- Published
- 2012
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