Union Organizing: a response to Carter

Abstract

From introduction: With almost six million fewer union members in 2005 than in 1979 (Certification Officer, 1980, 2006) the development of renewal strategies remains crucial. One such strategy is based on the idea that unions should shift from a top-down servicing model (SM) to a bottom-up organizing model (OM) that would encourage member participation, revitalize member agendas, increase union effectiveness and stimulate institutional growth. I examined the OM in a previous article and concluded that it was not a credible renewal strategy (de Turberville, 2004). The article described how previous research had considered the SM and OM to be either radically different (Carter, 2000) or mutually reliant (Waddington and Kerr, 2000). My concern was to situate an analysis of the OM within an evaluation of these two frameworks. This resulted in the following three lines of reasoning.