ABSTRACT
New evidence suggests that the question of union democracy should be reopened, after the long period during which unrelieved pessimism pre vailed (cf. Goldstein, 1952). As we shall show, the presidents of five Ameri can unions were defeated between 1949 and 1966, and two large British unions have held fairly close elections, for half a century or more, in filling vacancies for top posts. 1 The differences in electoral opposition from one union to another within each country are great enough to warrant an attempt at an explanation.
