Partnering for Change Unions and Community Groups Build Coalitions for Economic Justice

In the past decade unions and community groups have come together around a wide range of campaigns for economic justice--from fighting for living wages, to electing progressive champions, to questioning market-oriented economic development, to promoting anti-sprawl/smart growth efforts. "Partnering for Change brings together activists and intellectuals on the forefront of these organizing efforts. They discuss general patterns of labor-community coalitions in terms of alliances between unions and such community players as environmentalists, religious groups, low-income organizations, and local employers. The contributors also offer a wealth of case studies such as the successful campaign for corporate subsidy accountability in Minnesota, Vermont's Livable Wage Campaign, The Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, and the model regional power building projects of the South Bay AFL-CIO. The volume's editor, David Reynolds, combines a broad overview of labor--community coalitions, practical examples applicable to diverse communities, and an appreciation of the challenges as well as the opportunities for building the movement for economic change.

Part I. Dynamics of Labor-Community Coalitions; 1. Labor-Environmental Coalitions, Fred Rose; 2. Religion-Labor Partnerships: Alive and Growing in the New Millennium, Kim Bobo; 3. ACORN and Community-Labor Partnerships, Steve Kest; 4. The Effectiveness and Limits of Labor-Community Coalitions: Evidence from South Florida, Bruce Nissen; Part II. Areas of Common Ground; 5. Labor and Living Wage Movement, David Reynolds and Jen Kern; 6. Coming Together: Promises and Pitfalls of Minnesota's Corporate-Accountability Campaigns, Erik Peterson; 7. Anatomy of Vermont Livable Wage Campaign, Ellen Kahler; 8. Smart Growth for Cities: It's a Union Thing, Greg LeRoy; 9. Building Political Action Coalitions in Connecticut, Louise Simmons; Part III. Institution Building; 10. Contemporary Community Unionism: Some Lessons from Baltimore and Stamford, Janice Fine; 11. Working Partnerships: A New Strategy for Advancing Economic Justice, Bob Brownstein; 12. Economic Development for Whom? Labor Gest Involved in Massachusetts' Economic Development, Mary Jo Connelly, Peter Knowlton, Pete Capano, and Harneen Chernow; Part IV. Working with Employers; 13. Taking the High Road in Milwaukee: The Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, Annette Bernhardt, Laura Dresser, and Joel Rogers

Max Chretien (Author) , S. Deser (Author)