ABSTRACT
Reading the chapters in this book from the perspective of a US industrial relations researcher makes me want to repeat one of the classic euphemisms of Yogi Berra’s (the New York Yankees’ catcher of the 1960s known for his oxymorons): ‘it’s déjà vu all over again’. The overriding conclusion is that despite their different historical legacies, the situation now looks quite similar with respect to the state of British and US unions, and the factors affecting their growth, decline and future. Indeed, as noted by Gospel and Wood in Chapter 1, British and US unions are not alone. Unions in most countries around the world have been declining for some time. It is important to keep this larger context in perspective in examining the future of British unions.
