Unions in the 21st Century: Prospects for Renewal

Trade unions have occupied a central place in industrial relations research since the beginning of this field of study. With the well-documented decline in union membership that occurred around the world in the latter half of the 20th century, research on this topic has taken on a tone of heightened concern and urgency. Once again, fundamental questions about the role of unions as institutions in the labour market and society are being raised. Are unions outmoded institutions that arose out of the industrial revolution and grew to prominence and power in response to the economic and social conditions of the industrial economies of the 20th century but ill-suited to the economies, societies, and workers of today? Or, is the decline in unions likely to be reversed in the near term? If so, how? And, perhaps more fundamentally, if so, will the unions of the future be mirror images of those of the past and will the processes by which unions reverse their declines mirror the organising models and histories of the past? Or will the organising processes and organisational forms, strategies and roles of unions also change in significant ways? Finally, what is at stake in these debates? That is, should others outside the labour movement care whether or not unions rebuild their membership and regain their lost power and status as labour market institutions?