Labor book for the week of August 4, 2008

Turning the Tide: Strategic Planning for Labor Unions

By David Weil

This is an important book for labor’s difficult times of change. Based on his work with national, regional and local unions as well as his academic expertise in labor relations and economics, the author presents a rich combination of practical experience aimed at providing labor leaders with the tools to strengthen both their unions and their relations with management.

Weil, a core faculty member at the Harvard Trade Union Program and an associate professor at the Boston University School of Management, explains the impact of economic, technologic, governmental and labor market forces on union strategy. He details the obstacles to new initiatives and offers methods to overcome them, from adapting the union’s organizational structure to redirecting its internal financial resources. He offers solid examples from the construction, manufacturing, service and public sectors and demonstrates how unions have succeeded by creating economically sustainable collective bargaining agreements and organizing initiatives.

Published in 1994, Turning the Tide’s counsel and methods have only been strengthened over time.