DEPAUW UNIVERSITY

 

POLITICS OF LABOR

Political Science 390B/Hist 300C

 

 

Professor Beverly Takahashi

Room: Emison 101C    Tel: 4909

Office Hours: Friday 11-1                                                                   Spring, 2004

Email: btakahashi@depauw.edu

     

The purpose of this course is to introduce you to some of the important developments in the history of American labor politics. In the past, there was some dispute among labor historians as to the best way to understand and study labor history. Traditional scholars focused on the "history of organized labor," looking at famous events and people in the trade union movement. The "new labor historians" of the 1970s and 1980s challenged that approach and studied labor history "from the bottom-up," looking at history through the eyes of the workers, union members, the unorganized, and "ordinary people."  In this course, we acknowledge the contributions of both approaches but seek a “third way,” which synthesizes the two approaches by examining the political development of the American labor movement and the relationship between the political, economic, social, and institutional benchmarks of the American labor movement and the concepts, values, and ideologies that are associated with both work under capitalism and American democracy. This approach offers a vehicle for exploring many dimensions of labor politics, like working-class formation (or lack of), and political economy -- the study of how politics affects economic outcomes.  Confused already? By the end of the semester this will all make sense to you. However, the readings for the course are extensive and of varying difficulty. A small number of readings at the beginning of the semester may, at first, seem inaccessible to those students who are unfamiliar with the subject matter. Do NOT despair!  We are here to LEARN! If you need further clarification, ALWAYS let me know!

 

Required Books:

 

Cohen, Lizabeth, Making a New Deal (213-368)

Dubovsky, Melvyn, The State and Labor in Modern America

Glickman, Lawrence, A Living Wage

Goldfield, Michael, The Decline of Organized Labor in the United States.

Hattam, Victoria, Labor Visions and State Power: The Origins of Business.

Turner, Lowell eds., Rekindling the Movement (Excerpts)

 

On Reserve:

 

Richard Freeman and James Medoff, What Do Unions Do? Chapter 1 (3-25.) Katznelson, Ira and Aristide Zolberg, Working Class Formation (1-41, 157-275)

Mancur Olson, The Logic of Collective Action, chapter 3 (pages 66-97).           

Peck, Jamie, Workplace (Excerpts) (1-19)

Plotke, David, Building a Democratic Political Order (153-160, 128-152)

Tilly, Chris and Charles Tilly, Work Under Capitalism (2-20 138-55)                  

Takahashi, Beverly, “A New Paradigm for the Labor Movement”

 

Course requirements:

 

  1. It is necessary to read the week’s assignment BEFORE you come to class. I may ask certain students in advance to be ready to lead the discussion of specified readings and to raise questions about an author's approach, assumptions, and contribution.

 

  1. It is a good idea to keep a journal of summaries of readings (including questions you have) and observations about and assessments of the material and topics covered. The journal may be submitted for either extra credit (if extra credit is deserved) or in lieu of a take-home midterm exam. I leave that up to you; however, journals must be submitted halfway through the course and at the end of the semester.

 

  1. Research paper: There is an abundance of historical and secondary material available online (and elsewhere of course) and students will be required to write a research paper that uses either historical sources and secondary readings or that combines field research with secondary source material. First each student will choose a general area of interest.  Then after an informal discussion with me, students will narrow their focus and select a central theoretical problem or question that can guide their research. (REMEMBER! Students are almost always overly ambitious and select topics that would require a lifetime to complete.) Next, students must submit a proposal for a research paper that includes an explanation of their topic, a description and justification of how the student intends to frame the question and pursue the research, a short bibliography, and a timeline. Students will, of course, be able to seek my guidance throughout the paper writing process; in addition, however, students can divide their project into sections and submit ONE section to me for feedback.

 

  1. Final Exam

 

 

Students may be required to attend the talks of two or three guest speakers (that I am trying to roundup). Films/videos will also be shown during the course of the semester (outside of class time if the class agrees).

 

Let there be no doubt among us now

    and no illusion

The struggles that we face is grave

   the end uncertain

The prison doors are open for us all

It this you fear

  then speak and beg off now

  but recognize among us gathered here

  that flight betrays the faith of working men

For myself the line of march is clear

Fight, fight again Whatever the cost,

We’ll go, we’ll beg or borrow

I swear you’ll have your picket signs tomorrow.

                                            Marshall Dubin*

 

 

Planned Grading scheme:

 

Class participation: 10%

 

Midterm and/or Journal: 30%

 

Research Project: Proposal 10%, Final Paper 20%

 

Final Exam:  30%

 

 

 

Course Outline

 

 

I. Introduction: The Emergence of Labor Markets and Collective Action                  

 

Richard Freeman and James Medoff, What Do Unions Do? Chapter 1 (3-25.)        
Mancur Olson, The Logic of Collective Action, chapter 3 (pages 66-97).                     
Chris Tilly and Charles Tilly, Work Under Capitalism, 2-20 138-55                           
Jamie Peck, Workplace: The Social Regulation of Labor Markets, preface, 1-19

II. Working-Class Formation and Antebellum Labor                                      

Victoria C. Hattam, Labor Visions and State Power, 3-29                                  
Katznelson and Zolberg, Working-Class Formation, 1-41, 157-196

III. Democracy and Work after the Civil War                                                     

Glickman, Lawrence, A Living Wage                                                                        
Katznelson and Zolberg, Working-Class Formation, 196-275                                      
Steve Fraser, “Is Democracy Good for Unions?” Dissent, Summer 1998, Vol. 45,
No. 3.  Article and Replies (Dissent Winter 1999) available at http://www.laborers.org/Dissent_Frasier.html

IV. Organized Labor and the State                                                                   

Victoria C. Hattam, Labor Visions and State Power, 29- 215                                    
Dubovsky, Melvyn, The State and Labor in Modern America, 1-105

V. New Deal Labor Politics                                                                                 

David Plotke 153-160, 128-152                                                                           
Cohen, Lizabeth, Making a New Deal  213-368                                                      
Dubovsky, Melvyn, The State and Labor in Modern America, 106-238

VI. The Decline of Organized Labor                                                            

Goldfield, Michael, The Decline of Organized Labor in the United States
 Lichtenstein, Nelson, State of the Union (optional)

VII. In Pursuit of Labor’s Revival                                                              

Takahashi, Beverly, “A New Paradigm for the Labor Movement”                 
Turner, Lowell eds., Rekindling the Movement (Excerpts)