Labor Studies and Employment Relations: Home

Abstract: In American labor’s response to immigration over time, one can observe “a movement
wrestling” between restrictionist and solidaristic positions. A crucial transformation of American
labor’s response to immigration occurred from the 1930s to the 1960s which is attributed to four
factors: changes in the structure and composition of the labor market, shifts in immigration flows,
shifts in the attitudes of the labor movement toward immigrants, and the changing disposition of
the American state toward unions. In this article we look at the policy choices and dilemmas that have faced the American labor movement since the 1940’s, putting forth a conceptual framework for understanding labor’s shifting positions over time and identifying critical moments in Americanpolitical development. Having laid this foundation, we move on to a consideration of labor’s most recent positions concerning contemporary policy debates.

Abstract
Based on extensive field research in China during 2005–2010, this article aims
to explore the determinants of unionization in the Chinese context. We find that
managerial strategies toward union organizing and functioning have been critical in determining unionization outcomes in Chinese enterprises. While various
environment pressures may impose critical constraints on these strategies,
managerial industrial relations ideologies are central in shaping these strategies
when environment pressures barely exist or are bearable by management. Our
study makes the first effort in exploring industrial relations ideologies in
China and contributes to better understanding of unionization in the Chinese
workplace.