Sociology Plus
De-unionization Definition
De-unionization is shorthand for the erosion — or outright disappearance — of the labour movement, brought about by the shrinking of the working class in both recruitment and retention and by changes in identity, class consciousness, and ideology.
Shifting Patterns of Labour Organisation
Studies of specific industries, notably Beverly Silver’s Forces of Labor (2003), show that patterns of labour unrest move with the geographic relocation of production around the globe: collective labour interest re-emerges in relocated industries and in wholly new ones. In some parts of the world labour movements have merged into anti-globalisation movements. Their international strength depends heavily on how they navigate the North–South divide — particularly over industrial protectionism — and on how far labour interests can build coalitions with other interest-group-based movements.