Two forms of transnational organizing: Mapping the strategies of Global Union Federations

Autores/as

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/0103-2070.ts.2021.185622

Palabras clave:

Globalization, Power resources, Transnational corporations, International labor movement, Global framework agreements

Resumen

It has become a commonplace belief among academics and trade union officials that globalization has weakened trade unions. However, the expansion of global capital has also led to a rise of transnational labor organizing. Since the 2000s, Global Union Federations have developed different strategies to tackle the challenges of globalization. In this article, we analyze two such forms of transnational organizing: A network-based and an event-based form of organizing. While the network-based approach brings together unions from different countries in a company or industry-wide cross-border network, the event-based strategy is built on the engagement of the GUFs at large international events to wage local struggles with a lasting impact on labor relations. By drawing on a power resource approach and labor geography and by using empirical data from two case studies, the Building and Woodworkers International’s Fifa World Cup campaign of 2014 and the International Transport Workers Union’s Latam Union network, we demonstrate how GUFs are using different pathways of transnational activism to link the global with the local and why local trade union action is crucial for success in transnational organizing.

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Biografía del autor/a

  • Stefan Schmalz, University of Erfurt

    Research group leader at the University of Erfurt, Max Weber Centre for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies.

  • Teresa Conrow, University of California Labor Center

    Union organiser for over forty years. She works with unions throughout the world and is the author of numerous articles, books and curriculums on global organizing and campaigning. She is on the advisory board of the University of California Labor Center in Los Angeles and on the faculty of the Los Angeles Trade Tech College Labor Center. She is a member of Teamsters Local 952 and the American Federation of Teachers Local 1521. 

  • Dina Feller, Latam Flight Attendants Union in Argentina

    Union representative for the Latam Flight Attendants Union in Argentina. She coordinates Latam Airlines Union Network with support from the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF). She is an experienced global organizer, anthropologist, educator and campaigner. She served as a mentor for the Qatar Airways organising campaign and is an activist for women rights in Latin America.

  • Maurício Rombaldi, Universidade Federal da Paraíba

    Professor at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), editor of the Revista Brasileira de Ciênciais Sociais (RBCS/Anpocs), and PhD in sociology at the University of São Paulo (USP). 

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Publicado

2021-08-16

Número

Vol. 33 Núm. 2 (2021)

Sección

Dossiê - Lutas trabalhistas transnacionais e repertórios políticos

Licencia

Derechos de autor 2021 Stefan Schmalz; Teresa Conrow; Dina Feller; Maurício Rombaldi

Creative Commons License

Esta obra está bajo una licencia internacional Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial 4.0.

Cómo citar

Schmalz, S. ., Conrow, T., Feller, D. ., & Rombaldi, M. (2021). Two forms of transnational organizing: Mapping the strategies of Global Union Federations. Tempo Social, 33(2), 143-162. https://doi.org/10.11606/0103-2070.ts.2021.185622