American Labor, Congress, and the Welfare State, 1935-2010

by Tracy Roof

Overview

Despite achieving monumental reforms in the United States such as the eight-hour workday, a federal minimum wage, and workplace health and safety laws, organized labor’s record on much of its agenda has been mixed. Tracy Roof’s sweeping examination of labor unions and the American legislative process explains how this came to be and what it means for American workers.

Tracing a 75-year arc in labor movement history, Roof discusses the complex interplay between unions and Congress, showing the effects of each on the other, how the relationship has evolved, and the resulting political outcomes. She analyzes labor’s success at passing legislation and pushing political reform in the face of legislative institutional barriers such as the Senate filibuster and an entrenched and powerful committee structure, looks at the roots and impact of the interdependent relationship between the Democratic Party and the labor movement, and assesses labor’s prospects for future progress in creating a comprehensive welfare state. Roof’s original investigation details the history, actions, and consequences of major policy battles over areas such as labor law reform and health care policy. In the process, she brings to light practical and existential questions for labor leaders, scholars, and policy makers.

Although American labor remains a force within the political process, decades of steadily declining membership and hostile political forces pose real threats to the movement. Roof’s shrewd exploration of unions, Congress, and the political process challenges conventional explanations for organized labor’s political failings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421400877
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	07/15/2011
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Tracy Roof is an assistant professor of political science at the University of Richmond.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Introduction 1

1 The Rise of Organized Labor and the Conservative Coalition 21

2 Labor, the Conservative Coalition, and the Welfare State 52

3 Possibilities and Limits in the Great Society 83

4 Changing the Rules of the Game 112

5 Postreform Stalemate on Labor's Agenda 147

6 The More Things Change, the More They Remain the Same 177

Conclusion 215

Notes 231

Bibliography 265

Index 275

What People are Saying About This

Peter L. Francia

Roof succeeds at taking complicated issues and making them understandable. This meticulously researched book may well be the final word on what has prevented the labor movement from making greater strides in winning prolabor and progressive policies at the national level.

— Peter L. Francia, author of The Future of Organized Labor in American Politics

From the Publisher

Roof succeeds at taking complicated issues and making them understandable. This meticulously researched book may well be the final word on what has prevented the labor movement from making greater strides in winning prolabor and progressive policies at the national level.
—Peter L. Francia, author of The Future of Organized Labor in American Politics

Editorial Reviews

A thoughtfully constructed history and analysis that illuminates current efforts regarding health care reform and other goals of American liberalism.
—Scitech Book News

Roof suggests a new reason for labor's failures in the political realm: it is more structural than circumstantial.
—Labor Studies Journal

From the Publisher

Roof suggests a new reason for labor's failures in the political realm: it is more structural than circumstantial.

Labor Studies Journal

A thoughtfully constructed history and analysis that illuminates current efforts regarding health care reform and other goals of American liberalism.

Scitech Book News