Introduction

Labor-management relations can be viewed in terms of a contest between workers and their organizations and employers and their organizations for the authority to establish the rules needed to “structure” the labor force in our industrial society. In general terms, however, a primarily “dualistic” system has developed in the private dimension of American labor-management relations and a “pluralistic” system has developed in the political or public dimension. The polemics of political debate can encourage both sides to adopt adamant and polarized positions, take an all-or-nothing-at-all approach, and hope for the best. Yet the political process of the country operates on the geographical basis of ward, precinct, legislative district, and state-wide organization. Public political action can be viewed as either a supplement to or a substitute for private economic action in labor-management relations. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.