Contested communities: geo‐histories of unionism

Abstract

PurposeDespite being increasingly touted as the kind of fundamental transformation needed for union survival, “community unionism” is typically ill‐defined and poorly explained. This paper seeks to provide greater precision of terminology and context through a series of geographically‐informed historical studies.Design/methodology/approachThrough explaining and synthesising the work of a number of scholars from different disciplines, the paper develops a framework for a “geo‐historical” analysis. It begins not with community unionism as such but with a more open exploration of the relationship between unions and social formations at, for the most part, the local scale. Empirical material, based on original qualitative studies, is presented for one industry, Australian mining, across different places and time periods but concentrating most upon the iron ore regions in Western Australia where recent struggles over union renewal and form have been particularly intense.FindingsThis paper argues two things about community unionism: that this union form is not without historical antecedents and, more importantly, that its structure, nature and prospects can be better understood if analysed through a number of concepts which geographers have recently developed to explore the intersections between work, community and employment relations. More needs to be done to explain not only the nature and emergence of community unionism but also the very real problems it faces in sustaining itself, let alone transforming union movements overall. The findings point to the varied forms which so‐called community unionism may take as well as to the challenges to its current forms, including from within the labour movement itself.Originality/valueThe value of the paper lies in its theoretical innovation, drawing on a range of disciplines, and its attempt to situate community unionism precisely – conceptually, historically and geographically.

Towards a pluralist labor geography: Constrained grassroots agency and the socio-spatial fix in Dȇrsim, Turkey

“…Above all, however, our findings bridge three important gaps within a particular strand of contributions in labor geography, which calls for a more flexible and broader understanding of labor's agency (Brookes, 2013;Castree, 2007;Coe and Jordhus-Lier, 2011;Ellem, 2003Ellem, , 2008Johns and Vural, 2000;Jordhus-Lier, 2013;Lier, 2007;McDonald et al, 2012;Oseland et al, 2012;Tufts, 1998;Walsh, 2000;Wills, 2008). First, our paper aids this strand of contributions by providing an empirically substantiated framework to explore the cases in the Global South context, which remains considerably underdeveloped in the labor geography literature (Tufts and Savage, 2009).…”

“…Preliminary studies within this strand have mainly addressed cases showing how labor unions improve their organizational and struggling capacities through adopting community-unionism practices while dealing with emerging threats of industrial regulations and restructurings (Ellem, 2003;Johns and Vural, 2000;Tufts, 1998;Walsh, 2000). These contributions have paved the way for the second wave of contributions, which is identified by an increasing interest in theorizing and framing community-unionism in relation to spatiality of labor as well as national and international scales of coalition-building in global production networks (Brookes, 2013;Ellem, 2008;Jordhus-Lier, 2013;Lier, 2007;McDonald et al, 2012;Oseland et al, 2012;Wills, 2008).…”

“Our Tarkine, Our Future”: The Australian Workers Union Use of Narratives Around Place and Community in West and North West Tasmania, Australia

“…In this way, place is revealed as being more than the location of workplace or employment practices but where labour exerts agency to create and recreate the landscape (Herod ), in the AWU's case for over 100 years. In this sense we move beyond the often ahistoric approach to unions that Ellem () has criticised to one that recognises the union as a longstanding and important actor in the region. In this case, labour has not just shaped the realm of production (Herod ) but shaped the landscape, namely the Tarkine, as a symbolic place (Harvey ) in the imaginary.…”

“…In this case, labour has not just shaped the realm of production (Herod ) but shaped the landscape, namely the Tarkine, as a symbolic place (Harvey ) in the imaginary. Through this, the importance of politics is reasserted (Ellem ) as the AWU contested the environmentalists' ideas and narratives and proposed its own. In this way, the concept of labour geography is expanded as labour moves from being an economic actor (Herod ) to one that shapes meanings and imagination as well.…”

“…Within geography there has been a tendency for labour to be either ignored or depicted as passive and unable to shape economic landscapes, leading Herod () to call for a move from a geography of labour to labour geography where labour is reinserted as an active agent able to manipulate and shape the economic landscape. Similarly within research on work and employment, the concepts of space and place have either been ignored or treated in a simplistic and unproblematic manner (Herod et al ) and for studies of unions and work to be ahistoric and understate the importance of agency and politics (Ellem ). As a corollary of this, scant attention has been paid to the way unions use narratives and imagery of place to mobilise members and the broader community.…”