Contest, social valuation and change in American labor-union organizing, 1961-2004
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2009.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | eng |
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2010
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/53224 |
| _version_ | 1811089327721021440 |
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| author | Ferguson, John-Paul |
| author2 | Thomas A. Kochan, Ezra W. Zuckerman-Sivan and Robert Fernandez. |
| author_facet | Thomas A. Kochan, Ezra W. Zuckerman-Sivan and Robert Fernandez. Ferguson, John-Paul |
| author_sort | Ferguson, John-Paul |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2009. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T14:17:27Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | mit-1721.1/53224 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T14:17:27Z |
| publishDate | 2010 |
| publisher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/532242019-04-12T09:50:18Z Contest, social valuation and change in American labor-union organizing, 1961-2004 Ferguson, John-Paul Thomas A. Kochan, Ezra W. Zuckerman-Sivan and Robert Fernandez. Sloan School of Management. Sloan School of Management. Sloan School of Management. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2009. Includes bibliographical references (p. 167-184). In this thesis I explore the connections between changes to the formal procedures by which American labor unions enroll new members and the subsequent meanings and purposes that potential members and third parties attribute to unions. In the first essay I use a new, multi-stage model of union organizing to demonstrate that previous research has underestimated the difficulties that unions face in enrolling new members, particularly when charges of employer illegality are involved. In the second essay I theorize that this alteration of the union-formation process, by focusing members' attention on the necessary first step of becoming organized rather than on contract negotiations, has contributed to the erosion of the unions' long-established and once robust system of exclusive jurisdictions. I argue that union voters' shift toward diversified unions is an example of how categories are used in the process of social valuation and how changes in valuation can help organizational sociologists understand why category systems can suddenly change. In the third essay (co-authored with Thomas A. Kochan and Lucio Baccaro) I discuss other historical episodes where changes to the laws governing union organizing have been associated with changes in the definition of a legitimate union member and draw several implications for the prospects that current labor-law reform being debated in Congress will have a large effect on union membership. by John-Paul Ferguson. Ph.D. 2010-03-25T15:17:15Z 2010-03-25T15:17:15Z 2009 2009 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/53224 530190616 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 184 p. application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| spellingShingle | Sloan School of Management. Ferguson, John-Paul Contest, social valuation and change in American labor-union organizing, 1961-2004 |
| title | Contest, social valuation and change in American labor-union organizing, 1961-2004 |
| title_full | Contest, social valuation and change in American labor-union organizing, 1961-2004 |
| title_fullStr | Contest, social valuation and change in American labor-union organizing, 1961-2004 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Contest, social valuation and change in American labor-union organizing, 1961-2004 |
| title_short | Contest, social valuation and change in American labor-union organizing, 1961-2004 |
| title_sort | contest social valuation and change in american labor union organizing 1961 2004 |
| topic | Sloan School of Management. |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/53224 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT fergusonjohnpaul contestsocialvaluationandchangeinamericanlaborunionorganizing19612004 |