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Justice for Janitors in Los Angeles: Lessons from Three Rounds of Negotiations
Author(s) -
Erickson Christopher L.,
Fisk Catherine L.,
Milkman Ruth,
Mitchell Daniel J. B.,
Wong Kent
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
british journal of industrial relations
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.665
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1467-8543
pISSN - 0007-1080
DOI - 10.1111/1467-8543.00246
Subject(s) - negotiation , economic justice , politics , value (mathematics) , industrial relations , political science , political economy , public administration , sociology , law , machine learning , computer science
We examine an important recent organizing success of the US labour movement: the ‘Justice for Janitors’ campaign in Los Angeles. This campaign has spanned a complete business cycle and shows the union’s capacity for growth over time. It illustrates the potential for unions to overcome pro–employer bias of labour laws, as well as their efficacy in appealing to the wider public. It exposes the importance of building coalitions, as well as the value of union analysis of legal, industrial, and political conditions. Our analysis suggests conditions under which unions might survive and thrive in the service sector in the twenty–first century.