Rules to Win By: Power and Participation in Union Negotiations

The authors claim that this book is unique, and they are probably right.First, they propose a radically innovative model for "high-participation" collective bargaining.While that is not unique by itself, they take it to another level by grounding it solidly in detailed cases and practical guides for action.An enthusiastic union leader would plausibly be able to build a powerful participatory organization just on the basis of reading this book.The combination of wide ambition and deep practical guidance is rare in any field, and to my knowledge entirely new in this area.The book starts from an argument made by McAlevey in previous work: that the decline of unions in this century is due not primarily to external changes in markets, industry, or social relations, but to unions' own strategic failings-their tendency to centralize power in small groups and to conduct bargaining in a way that excludes most of the membership from deep participation.McAlevey's solution is a bargaining approach based on three core concepts: Transparent: In place of the usual closed bargaining sessions with tightly limited communication, the authors advocate constant and detailed communication with members. Big: Rather than small negotiating teams of 5 to 10 workers plus an attorney and business representative, they propose large teams representing every category of worker in the unit, elected by their peers and participating as unpaid volunteers.