Networks of Trade Protest in the Americas: Toward a New Labor Internationalism?

Abstract

In the mid‐1990s, for the first time in the history of the Americas, truly hemispherewide collaboration among labor organizations became possible. Yet this new political opportunity structure has not brought actors together in an undisputed new labor internationalism. This article focuses on two key sources of contention among labor organizations in the context of free trade mobilizations between 1990 and 2004: the discussions about coalition building with other civil society actors and the debates about including a social clause in trade agreements. It argues that transnational collective action occurs parallel to the continued relevance of national‐level claims and targets, and that this simultaneity represents a real source of challenges, for scholars and labor organizations alike. Based on social network data and qualitative interviews in Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and the United States, the article analyzes the actions taken by labor organizations, and how these changed through time.

The Rise of Post-Hegemonic Regionalism in Latin America

“…The level of analysis, the point of entry and the DNA to understand identity, common practices and belonging, in this view, was the global system. Furthermore, a transformative regionalism based on solidaristic practices and identity formation beyond market imperatives was expected to come from networks of non-governmental actors forming coalitions with like-minded groups throughout the hemisphere (Saguier 2007;Icaza et al 2009;Von Bülow 2009).…”

Sociedade civil e negociações comerciais: A construção de um novo campo de ação nas Américas

“…A maior parte das organizações está enraizada em espaços nacionais e priorizam mudanças domésticas, mas, ao mesmo tempo, constróem alianças transnacionais. É devido a toda essa diversidade que este trabalho fala de múltiplas trajetórias para a transnacionalidade, ou seja, múltiplas maneiras pelas quais organizações da sociedade civil participam de debates, ações e processos que as levam além das fronteiras nacionais, sem necessariamente abrir mão da atuação em nível doméstico (von Bülow, 2009;von Bülow, no prelo).…”

“…Finalmente, apesar de existir uma tendência geral à criação de mais laços inter-setoriais, há grande variedade na amplitude dessas alianças, e, portanto, na habilidade e pré-disposição das organizações de dialogar e colaborar com parceiras fora do seu âmbito específico. Por exemplo, no caso das centrais sindicais filiadas à Organização Regional Inter-americana de Trabalhadores (ORIT), alguns de seus membros têm se destacado pela defesa das "alianças sociais" com outros movimentos sociais e ONGs, mas ainda há resistência interna, e essas alianças não são implementadas com o mesmo entusiasmo por todos os membros em todos os países (von Bülow, 2009).…”

Civil Society and Trade Negotiations: Constructing a New Field of Action in the Americas*

“…The majority of these organisations have their roots in national spaces and prioritise domestic changes, whilst at the same time constructing transnational alliances. Due to this diversity, this article refers to multiple trajectories for transnationality or, in other words, the multiple ways in which civil society organisations participate in debates, actions and processes that lead them beyond national borders without necessarily renouncing activities on a domestic level (von Bülow, 2009 and2010). 4 The definition proposed in this article emphasises the political dimension of the creation of a field and also a more dynamic vision than the more institutionalised definitions proposed in the literature on organisations.…”