If you'd like to subscribe to our bi-monthly newsletter or our fortnightly newswire just send us your email address (per box above). To the left are the kinds of story featured in the newsletter. Below are samples from the newswire. Stay in the loop regarding the huge changes which are occurring in trade unionism!

At last we meet!
May Day greetings to members! The network is holding its first ever members' meeting - beginning May 1st and continuing until the 15th. You can join in the discussion, consider and vote on issues raised so far, add your own items, and/or help us refine the process for future meetings here» Please be aware that this is an open dialog, although we can change this if people want.

A plea for plain English
Most of the current work on labour and globalisation is written in a language which few working people could penetrate. In effect, workers are excluded from the discussion. Here's a typical offender at work: "The original formulation of the global commodity chain approach by Gereffi and Korzeniewicz (1994), draws its inspiration from Wallerstein's world system approach, with strong roots in dependency thinking." and: "The acquisition, control and use of tacit knowledge by lead firms (vis a vis SMEs) is a theme which may have more serious implications than authors such as Palpacuer (2000) suggest." This is from the ILO's "Trade Union Responses to Globalisation". However the papers originated with the venerable Global Union Research Network (GURN). That's right - this is unionists writing for unionists! The book apparently: "highlights issues crucial to trade unions". Here's a request for union theorists: before publishing, why not run your work through this online tool», to assess the number of years of formal education required to understand your text? It's free, and it even offers tips on which sentences might be improved. Readibility test»

Democracy at work: a human right?
"Capitalism has pulled a clever trick..." writes Peter Wilby in the New Statesman. "It encourages people to define themselves through what they consume. Work is just a means to an end. " We have grown used to putting democractic  expectations on hold from 9.00 to 5.00. We talk about "work-life balance" as if the former were part of something separate. At work we accept that there will be an autocrat at the top. He/she will implement systems for our bribery and punishment. Voting and accountability are out of the question. Consultation is an enlightened gesture (whether or not it is genuine). Our best hope is for an autocracy which is relatively benign. Dare we expect more? Some unions would say yes. More» and more» and more» and more» and more» and more» and more»

Discuss, debate, decide
There have been a number of issues raised which we would like your feedback on, and so we're preparing an "omnibus" voting form, with parallel facilities for discussion and comment. If you are a member and there is something you'd like to raise yourself, please contact forums@newunionism.net. We're aiming for May Day to begin deliberations and voting, with up to two weeks for people to tune in, express their views, discuss, and make decisions. Items so far: organisational membership, voting rights, becoming involved in campaigns.

The future of global unions
If you've never read anything about the phenomenon of "global unionism" before then here's a very fine place to start. We may not agree with all of the opinions expressed, but congratulations to Alan Howard and Dissent magazine for running a story which the mainstream media, and even many labor journals, seem determined to ignore. more»

Global union directory
In an effort to facilitate recruitment and international networking between unions we have been building a global union directory here»  We've now got more than 4,000 unions listed, with links to as many email addreses, websites, on-line join-up forms and wikis as possible. We've also included membership statistics wherever we can. The next step is to offer unions in the world's 50 poorest countries free homepages. These will eventually feature a project fund-raising facility as well. We will also be starting to index all unions by their industry(-ies) as well as the major multinationals they work with. For this we will need help - both in terms of volunteer labour and solidarity donations. What do you say? You can download a project proposal here» For any other kind of information please contact younionize@newunionism.net.

Old new unionism
There have been two movements in labor history known as "New Unionism", and they are very closely related. The first began in the 1880s, as craft-based structures gave way to industrial unions. The new leaders argued that unions had to become much more open and inclusive. The results these early unions achieved were inspiring. Then came labor's "great split" in 1920, which was to last till the end of the century. Are we picking up where we left off? more»

The rise of the green collar worker
"Protect the worker, not the job." It's got a nice ring to it, don't you think? However unions have traditionally been rather wary of this maxim. It's not that they disagree; just that the phrase is so often used to promote flexibility at the expense of security. Where are the employment options to come from? Now an influential U.S. coalition, including the United Steelworkers, believes they have found the answer. "Green collar jobs" are about to become "...the greatest new engine for urban economic growth, innovation and job creation in many decades." The Center for American Progress emphatically agrees», and Obama and Clinton are both pushing variants of the same line. So is the ITUC (see below). The green collar job may be about to change the face of municipal and national public services. Saving planets is a labour-intensive business. download report»

Rights busters go global
It seems that class war is alive and well and living in the U.S.A.  Oddly enough, its prime exponents these days are the private sector and public officials. At a time where workers are increasingly seeking democracy in the workplace, "union-busters" are resorting to every cloak-and-dagger trick imaginable to deny them basic workplace rights. In fact the business is now so big (turning over $4bn per year) that it has become profitable to create and promote industrial discord. The chances are you'll be hearing more soon, as rights busters are setting up shop in the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Belgium, France and Germany. In response, the movement for workplace rights is going global too. more»

Global labour vs global warming
Thanks especially to work done by the International Trade Union Confederation (see here), unions are developing a global approach to global warming. The Labor Strategies Network (LSN) has produced a very useful and readable paper on the subject. In it they raise a critical issue for the labour movement: "...who is in a better position to know whether a company is really reducing its carbon use than those who work for it? Unions are in a unique position to negotiate purchasing, transportation, and other company policies that affect global warming. But such a role raises the question of what does it mean to be a worker – are workers “hired to work not think,” or should they also play a workplace role as producer, citizen, and human being?" (italics added). This goes straight to the heart of New Unionism. It also illustrates how critical our struggle for industrial and economic democracy has become. The LSN paper is available here»

Don't get fooled again
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss... Most CEO's are in the job for less than 3 years. This statistic is remarkably consistent across developed countries (more), and goes a long way towards explaining the short-termism of modern management. Many CEOs never declare the clear conflict of interest they face: quick results are necessary for their CV. A round of layoffs is the classic device. Evidence clearly shows that this will damage the company in the longer term, but who's going to intervene? One solution is for employees to have a voice in succession planning and criteria. This is what LIUNA's pension plan is proposing (more). Another is for workers' pension funds, estimated at about one-third of the world’s total share capital (more), to be used to foster improved governance and performance monitoring. With the Board representing shareholders (including pension funds) and the union representing employees, might we see an end to the hidden CEO agenda?

Faith and unionism
The influence of the religious right is on the decline. So what's next? U.S. preacher Jim Wallis says: "...a wider and deeper vision of faith and values is emerging. It's a renewal of faith that combines personal faith with social justice. A new social movement is on the rise." Similarly, the Workers' Interfaith Network is calling for a new ministry of work. Are we seeing a return to the socially-aware faiths of Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day, Cesar Chavez, the Jewish Labor Committee and the Catholic Worker? As Wallis notes: "Sometimes, politics becomes so broken that the hunger for change becomes overwhelming. That's what is happening this year."
Others seem to agree:
Christian Alliance for Progress»  Monks in Myanmar»   Matt Gladue»   Priests vs Samsung»   CBS story»  Jim Wallis»  And check out these religious left gifts»

Workplace democracy
An informal coalition of U.K. unions and thinktanks has produced an important new thinkpiece on workplace democracy. If this agenda is new to you, then here's a great introduction. Don't worry about the British/European focus - there's enough food for thought here for anybody who thinks their workplace needs a cultural shake-up. Some members of this network felt there were limits to the report, but all were agreed: if you're interested in understanding the trajectory of New Unionism, read this report! download

Union growth in the U.S.
The mainstream media in the U.S. is wrestling with a problem: how to report on a year's union membership growth? The 300,000+ new members are being written off as: "a statistical anomaly"; "a rounding error"; or: "virtually no change". They are: "the first faltering in the constant decline since 1983". The fact is that membership also grew in 1988, '93,'94, '98, '99, 2001 and '05. (more). And why does the media always cite such peculiar time periods? Because that way the picture looks grimmest (ie more newsworthy). Let's consider official figures for the last ten years instead. Since 1997 U.S. union membership has decreased by a grand total of 2.5% (see comparable 1997 and 2007 figures). Of course one would expect to see a decline, given the shift from a manufacturing to a services base, yet without direct interference unions would probably have grown. In 1984 one third of non-members wanted to join a union. That figure is now up to 58% (more). If these people joined the movement would be 7 times larger (more). However 25% of U.S. workers are prevented by legislation from joining (more). Unions nevertheless represented 1.6 million workers in 2007 who were not members (more). So we say congratulations to you U.S. unionists; you are holding your ground magnificently. And "Earth to Murdoch & co": the ongoing decline is not in union membership, but in media independence!

Organizing boom in China
Union membership has been growing strongly and consistently in China for several years: from about 100,000,000 in 2000 to more than 150,000,000 in 2005 (details). Recently the organizing focus has been on multinationals. There are now unions in 60% of the 51,728 foreign-funded firms. 77 of Wal-Mart's 84 outlets are unionised, and by July '08 the ACFTU expects to represent 200,000,000 workers (details). How real this representation is remains a topic for debate, and justifiably so, however there are signs of change here too. The China Labour Bulletin, a harsh critic of the official unions, recently stated: "we now believe multinationals will be best served working directly with local branches of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions" (more). ITUC, the global union body, has also decided to resume international dialog (more). With solidarity, labour costs and worker protections increasing rapidly, many employers are now crying "D'Oh!" (more).

Looking for union staff?
If you represent a union or a labour-friendly NGO which is looking for experienced union staff for just about any role, check out some of the great talent here Just check the circle next to their name(s), send us your details, and we'll let the candidates know. This page is updated often, so keep an eye on it.

or union work?
If you're an experienced unionist looking for work in the movement, or with a labour-friendly NGO, just click here and we'll do our best to make a link for you. Your name will not be published, and most other details will be kept confidential from all but potential employer(s). Please note that by "experience" we mean voluntary and/or professional union work (at least 2 years).

Enron II cometh
A shocking 56% of employees have witnessed ethical misconduct at work within the past year, according to a U.S. survey from the Ethics Resource Center. It was hoped, in the wake of Enron and subsequent scandals, that this culture could be challenged by legislation. However this clearly hasn't been enough; the beast still walks, and the problem is now worse than it was prior to Enron. The ERC survey also shows that employees don't like to use hotlines, preferring to discuss the ethical breaches they have observed with somebody they know. more on the survey»  
If the political will is really there, perhaps managers could learn from India's HCL Technologies. They may be the only company in the world where staff are asked to review and grade their management, with the results then being published for the whole company to see. "I believe this whole concept [of making management more accountable to workers] is going to get accepted as a way of life," says CEO Vineet Nayar. more on HCL»

Workplace democracy and class
Workplace democracy is being touted as the way forward by unionists, entrepreneurs and employers, yet governments are not picking up on the agenda. Why? Recent work by US academic Ed Collom might suggest an answer. Collom's research confirms that there is "cross-class support" for the approach, but finds "inter-class" divisions within this. Among workers, union members support the idea more than non-members. Among employers, young entrepreneurs support it more than older managers. The self-empoyed, women, people of colour, and lower-paid workers are supportive; while those with conservative leanings or higher incomes are less so. Public service workers are supportive, as are professional and technical workers. Managers and supervisors are less so. Might these divisions suggest why governments are acting like the proverbial ostrich? "Hmmmm... I know I left my too-hard basket down there somewhere". download report»

Human solidarity
Climate change is the defining human development challenge of the 21st century, according to the U.N. Human Development Report. They cite Martin Luther King:
"Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late… Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words: "Too late".
"Business as usual" is a thing of the past. We need to develop workplace democracy not just to ensure waste paper is recycled, but to bring crucial social concerns into planning and production. Does your union negotiate at this level? If not, what can you do to help organizing around this issue? You can read the report summary here» and/or download the whole report here» For more on the global labour response, click here»

A new tactic for the new economy?
"Workers (now) own... the critical means of production. In a modern company 70 to 80% of what people do is now done by way of their intellects. The critical means of production is small, gray, and weighs around 1.3 kilogrammes. It is the human brain." (here )

The Gallup organisation, among many others, has shown that workers' engagement is critical to high-performing workplaces (here )   It is also vital to workers' job satisfaction (here )   As such, it is clearly a union issue. But might it also be a 21st century union weapon? As well as the strike, the work-to-rule and the go-slow, might we start to see engagement and disengagement arising as new forms of industrial action? More to the point, is it happening anyway? Gallup collected a database of 4.5 million employees in 12 industries in the U.S. and found that fully 60% were "not engaged", while another 20% were "actively disengaged". U.K. figures are almost the same. In other words about 60% of us work only enough to hold onto our jobs, while a further 20% would hurt the organization if they could. As the graph below shows, the level of engagement hugely affects company performance.