Workers in a Lean World: Unions in the International Economy (Haymarket (Paperback))

Rating:
Summary: Workers of the lean world, unite!
Review: Kim Moody's "Workers in a Lean World" is a scholarly but highly readable critique of the contemporary labor movement and its struggle with capital. The author discusses numerous instances from around the world where employees have resisted management to support his contention that today's workers movement remains a potent historical force. In fact, the author points to new forms of worker organization to posit that the working class may be closer to throwing off the mantle of capitalist rule than one might suspect.

Mr. Moody is a labor researcher and activist who displays a great deal of knowledge and passion for the subject. He is the director of 'Labor Notes', an organization that publishes and sponsors conferences for labor leaders. The book benefits from the author's solid scholarship and case studies shared by real-life contacts with people who are active in making history today. Rarely is labor's side of the story told as intelligently, persuasively and compellingly as it is here.

Mr. Moody presents an unique analysis of postmodern industrialization. Like others, he points to the crisis of accumulation in the mid-1970s as a catalyst for change. Lean production utilizes information technology, cross-border production chains, and deskilled labor in an attempt to restore corporate profitability. But at this point, the author departs from most other analysts in a number of ways.

Mr. Moody challenges postmodern theorists by demonstrating that material production remains at the heart of capitalism. Citing a wealth of statistics, the author explains that the Fordist model remains vital and Taylorism is integral to the success of lean production. We are reminded of the age-old reality that labor's gain is management's loss; but while acknowledging that many jobs have been recently transferred overseas to low-wage countries, the author contends that it is not as easy for companies to relocate production as one might think. In fact, most job losses in recent years have been attributable to the implementation of computer technology. Rather, corporate PR and the threat of relocation is most often used by management to wring concessions from a largely insecure workforce that has become disoriented in the face of these rapid changes.

One particular powerful aspect of Mr. Moody's analysis pertained to his blistering critique of Human Resources Management (HRM), a "propagandistic" ideology full of "hype about worker autonomy and empowerment" (pg. 89). HRM has been successfully used by many companies to create a more easily exploitable workforce. In general, HRM coerces workers to share information with management, which all too often leads to speed-up and job loading at individual factories. Such knowlege then quickly spreads throughout the industry as examples of these so-called "best practices" are shared in management circles. But the underpaid, deskilled and overstressed workforce that ultimately results from an HRM project exposes the inherently lopsided nature of the labor/management relationship.

Mr. Moody compares and contrasts the union movement in the industrialized North with the newly-industrialized South. The author finds that many unions in the North (the U.S., Europe and Japan) have been coopted by management and consequently have lost much of their effectiveness. In contrast, the author highlights the successes of some of the more dynamic unions in the South (Brazil, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan and elsewhere) to contend that a form of social-movement unionism that combines political and economic goals may help secure a better future for the working class as a whole. Importantly, the author believes that the same cross-border production chains that enable globalization to flourish must be used by unions in the North and the South to share ideas, coordinate actions and achieve shared goals. While one may not be as optimistic as the author that such a coordinated worker campaign might gain the upper hand anytime soon, the strength of the author's work is such that one can clearly see the contours of the movement beginning to form and imagine that its eventual success may certainly be within the realm of possibility.

In short, "Workers in a Lean World" is a thoughtful book that is full of insight, sophisticated analysis and forward-thinking ideas about creating a more just and egalitarian society. Highly recommended.