The Unions and the Democrats: An Enduring Alliance

Rating:
Summary: A useful antidote to the wishful thinking of labor activists
Review: *The Unions & the Democrats* is a decisive rejoinder to those who claim American labor is in a period of resurgence and renewal. In fact, as Professor Dark amply illustrates, labor's role as an adjunct to the Democrat Party has remained consistent over the years, fending off challenges from 'Left' and 'Right' alike, so far as those terms have any real meaning in the lexicon of reformist American politics. The book is especially strong on the period since 1964, when American labor came into its own, emerging from its anti-Communist past to actively promote Democratic party values from the war in Vietnam to civil rights, all the while remaining firm as an agency of class control. The fundamental relationship between the labor movement and the Democrats remains, as Professor Dark is happy to remind us, fundamentally unchanged.

There is, too, excellent sections detailing the controversy surrounding labor spending during the 1996 presidential campaign and the effect of 'New Democrats' like Clinton to better 'rationalize' the union/Democrat relationship. In fact, an argument can be made that Clinton himself better exemplifies the values of the traditional union member than his more 'activist' counterparts. Professor Dark's conclusions will challenge, in fact, a number of activists' sacred cows, though in an even-handed and fair manner.

Anyone looking for a good resume of 'New Labor' and its possibilities would be well-served by reading *The Unions & the Democrats*. Pay special attention to section on contemporary organizing. Professor Dark himself appears a likely candidate for the new type of union member, seeming as he is one of many 'casual' workers in the new non-tenure academic workplace.

A good overview of sources is included, many of which suggest avenues for future research.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent work on unions in American politics
Review: This book provides a thorough and well-written account of the role of labor unions in the Democratic party since the 1960s. I found its argument that the unions were more effective than commonly believed to be quite interesting and (mostly) convincing. Simply put, this is the most comprehensive and detailed book on this subject currently available, and should be the starting point for all future discussions of union political activity. The chapters on Congress and on the Clinton administration were especially good at overturning some commonly-held notions about a break in union/Democrat relations.

This work should be of interest not only to academics, but also to union activists and anyone interested in the current nature of Democratic party coalitions.