THE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE AS A FACTOR IN UNION GROWTH.

Unionism among retail clerks faces serious obstacles both in organizing and in bargaining. A variety of factors inhibit membership growth, while the relatively low skill of store clerks robs them of the economic strength essential to successful collective bargaining. There exist in retailing, however, certain groups with substantial economic power—notably, truck drivers, warehousemen, and butchers. From alliances with these groups, retail clerks have derived the aid and strength which they themselves lack, according to this study, which analyzes the merits and disadvantages of such a relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]