The 1970s and 1980s

1
The 1970s and 1980s

• Lecture 1

2
Administrative

• Reading for next time all remaining reading on
  this topic

3
Review

• In 1960 unionism strong in blue collar and goods
  producing occupations and industries and weak in
  white collar and service producing occupations
  and industries
• Development of collective bargaining by farm
  workers and teachers

4
Today

1. Political and Economic Background
2. New Pattern of Strikes and Government
   Anti-unionism
3. New Patterns of Bargaining

5
I. Political and Economic Background

• Only four years of Democratic Presidency over
  this period
• Continued decline of goods producing sectors and
  rise of services
• Decade of the 1970s was one of economic
  instability
• Issues related to petroleum
• Stagflation

6
II. New Patterns of Strikes and Government
Anti-unionism

• The PATCO Strike (1981)
• Background
• Issues
• Outcome
• The Phelps Dodge Dispute (1983)
• Background
• Issues
• Outcome

7
Strikes

• PATCO dispute indicated hostility of government
  to unions
• PATCO and Phelps Dodge signaled employers that
  they could replace strikers with impunity and
  with the approval of government
• Operating during strike become normal
• Threats to close or to replace strikers became
  the norm

8
Striker Replacement

• McKay Radio Doctrine (1937)
• Threats frequently carried out
• Employers often prepared for strikes by arranging
  replacements in advance

9
III. New Patterns of Bargaining

• New patterns of strikes left unions with little
  recourse
• Concession bargaining
• Wage freezes and wage and benefit cuts
• lump-sum payments
• Two-tiered bargaining

10
Next Time

• New Economy of 1980s and beyond
• Responses of the union movement
• Women in the labor force in the 1970s and 1980s

11
The 1970s and 1980s

• Lecture 2

12
Administrative

• Reading for next time Ross, Sweated Labor in
  Cyberspace, in Boris and Lichtenstein

13
Review

• Anti-labor political environment of 1970s and
  1980s and unstable economic environment of 1970s
• New patterns of strikes and government
  anti-unionism
• Concession bargaining

14
Today

1. Post-industrial Society
2. Women at work and family life in the 1970s and
   1980s
3. White male workers in the 1970s and 1980s
4. Trade unions

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I. Post-Industrial Society

• What is post-industrial society?
• What is the nature of work like in that society?
• What are consumption patterns like in that
  society?

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II. Women at work and family life

• What happened to womens work patterns in the
  1970s and 1980s?
• What happened to patterns of family life?
• Related to decline in fringe benefits, especially
  health care

17
Womens Issues at Work

• Interest in childcare/daycare
• Ability to pay for childcare with pre-tax dollars
• Flexible schedules
• Work from home
• Cafeteria benefit plans

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III. White Male Workers

• Resentment of programs for women and minorities
• Bakke Case
• Weber Case
• Johnson Case
• Impact of Viet Nam War

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IV. Trade Unions

• AFL-CIO
• All major unions affiliated
• Membership of affiliates continued to decline
• Continued to take strong anti-Communist
  international position
• New approaches to union organizing
• organizing unionism
• Corporate Campaigns

20
Next Time

• Begin discussion of the period since 1990