Organizing Immigrants

By Ruth Milkman

Book Overview

Recruiting the growing numbers of immigrants into union ranks is imperative for the besieged U.S. labor movement. Nowhere is this task more pressing than in California, where immigrants make up a quarter of the population and hold many of the manual jobs that were once key strongholds of organized labor. The first book to offer in-depth coverage of this timely topic, Organizing Immigrants analyzes the recent history of and prospects for union organizing among foreign-born workers in the nation's most populous state. Are foreign-born workers more or less receptive to unionization than their native-born counterparts? Are undocumented immigrants as likely as legal residents and naturalized citizens to join unions? How much does the political, cultural, and ethnic background of immigrants matter? What are the social, political, and economic conditions that facilitate immigrant unionization? Drawing on newly collected evidence, the contributors to this volume explore these and other questions, analyzing immigrant employment and unionization trends in California and examining recent strikes and organizing efforts involving foreign-born workers. The case studies include both successful and unsuccessful campaigns, innovative and traditional strategies, and a variety of industrial and service sector settings.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0801486173
• ISBN13: 9780801486173
• Release Date: March 2000
• Publisher: Cornell University Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.81 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 8.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Organizing the unorganizable: The Victories in California

The skeleton of this publication could be positioned under the Labour Relations, Organizing "minorities", Immigrants penetration and Job market in the U.S.Even though the main body of this textbook was made based on empirical research based it is enjoyable and readable. The most of the contributors of the title give descriptions of the situation under the social science conceptualisation; nevertheless they denude in awareness manner the human situation of this "minority" population.Matters as the consideration of the immigrants as a group who should be trait in a cultural sensitive way, under my point of view is worthwhile. The topic is product in it -self of a sociological (with the effects and repercussion in the economic, diplomatic and legal facets) problem in the whole world. Migration it is an issues reflex of the actual anthropoid circumstances. It urges responses from governments, trade unions, humanitarian organizations, community groups and civil society in general terms.Organizing Immigrants is an advantageous and worthwhile textbook that presents a series of case studies (successful and unsuccessful campaign, traditional and innovative tactics) about the impact in social and economic context in California. The chapters in the book provide a sensitive, perceptive and scientific account of the backgrounds: the problems and the prospect involved in the task of foreign-born workers organizing.The volume describes and analyses three important victories in organizing Immigrants:1. Justice for Janitors (JfJ).2. Drywaller's campaign.3. The American Racing Employment. (ARE)In California, immigrants make up a quarter of the population and hold many of the manual jobs that were once key strongholds of organized labour. The new immigrants, in a big percentage, had been arriving to the very bottom in the job market and in the society.The book inquiries critically Issues as comparison between the receptiveness to unionisation in native-born and foreign-born; the preponderances in undocumented immigrants job market sector; the influence of the political, cultural, social, economic and ethnic background and conditions impact the likelihood to organizing. Under the frame of reference of these matters, the social scientific contributors to this book analyse in nine chapters the task involving Immigrants organizing and the impact on the future of organized labour.With valuable empirical data support the authors show that immigrants are less inclined than natives to hold union jobs. Parts of the reasons are that unions have poor participation with the social issues that difference Immigrants from Natives. The situation for immigrants are not radically different in comparison of discriminates minority groups. For this reason campaigns from unions respect on with Immigrants may demand cultural sensitive. Innovative organizing tactics depend on new levels of participation, organizing and commitment. It supposes Education to the members about importanc