Labor and Politics

This course will examine contemporary approaches to political action employed by unions, including comparative studies of relationships between unions and political parties in the U.S. and Europe. In addition to studying traditional approaches to electoral politics, the course will examine alternative forms of political behavior, including third-party movements; labor-party initiatives; independent politics; and direct action. Students will analyze the logic and practice of these various political strategies, evaluating their strengths and limitations. The course will provide a historical context, beginning in the United States with reform labor unionism and syndicalism. Students will discuss conservative principles of "pure and simple" unionism and "pure and simple politics" as well as more radical attempts to build a labor/socialist party. Finally, they will focus on the history of labor's continuing alliance with the Democratic Party, starting with the New Deal and continuing to the present.

Fall, Spring