ILPC 2027

In many communities, a litany of plant closures and an eroding industrial base has shaken the foundation of economic security and well-being for the working class. Numerous cities and towns once with robust economies and bustling with development have been hollowed out, with brownfields replacing mills and smokestacks. For many working-class communities, the crumbling industrial landscape has meant a significant decline in union presence, a loss of collective spirit, and a dispirited will toward collective action. Based on interviews with 50 unionized industrial workers who recently faced a plant closure, the authors explore the reactions of the workers as they face unemployment and uncertain futures and the loss of a strong union presence in the community. In particular we examine the workers’ relationship to their union local as the plant is dismantled. We assess the workers’ reactions to the level of union support during the process of closure and the workers’ evaluation of the negotiated settlement. We argue that the union’s role in the process of plant closure, the final settlement, and the differential outcomes for various groups of workers shook the confidence of a committed union membership and has raised questions regarding the efficacy of the collective bargaining process for these very vulnerable workers in their time of crisis. The paper raises questions about how unions react to closure, workers’ priorities with regard to settlements, and the impact of de-unionization on a community.