Community Unionism - Community Unions in The U.S.A.

Community Unions in The U.S.A.

Like other advanced industrial economies, community unionism sprang up in the U.S. in the 1980’s. Community unions were formed from community and faith based organizing networks, central American solidarity movements and other left wing organizations, legal services and social service agencies, immigrant non-governmental organizations, churches, and labour unions. U.S. community unions focus on issues that go beyond the workplace such as housing, health care, education, and immigration.

Craft unionism in the U.S organized workers based on their trade by class or skill. The jobs these workers had were stable, paid a living wage, provided pensions, and offered long term employment. Within the last 20 years, the highly competitive and mobile nature of U.S. firms has resulted in outsourcing and subcontracting practices. These wide spread practices have negative impacts on workers: lower wages, little/no access to benefits, decreased hours, and no pension. Not only are unions being dismantled by neoliberal policies, but the precarious work that has risen out of the U.S. economy no longer identifies with craft union practices as low wage workers are facing different challenges. In addition, many jobs that are coming to characterize the U.S. economy are non-unionized. Community unionism has been a response to these issues in the U.S, and has provided activities at a local level that work to set up labour market protections for low wage workers. They accomplish this by organizing members and allies in bringing pressure on elected officials to support them. Thus, U.S. community unions rely on politics and public policy in creating change for members (wages, hours, working conditions). Community union membership may be based on ethnic, racial, religious affiliations and geographic areas.

U.S. community unions vary in their organizational framework. They reflect the 4 structures of community unions. For example:

Community organization/ no union partner: Worker centers fall into this category.

Labour Union or unions/ no community partner: SEIU’s National Justice for Janitors & CHOP Chicago Homecare Organizing Project.

Community/ labour partnership but with community organization dominant: Partnership of Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employers (AFSCME) in Baltimore & The Partnership of Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) in Omaha.

Community/labour partnership but with labour union dominant: The Stamford Organizing Project of the AFL-CIO.