ABSTRACT
The labor movement in America appears to be fading, declining under the pressure of foreign competition, shifts in the make-up of our economy, and the impact of deregulation. The industrial relations crisis may one day disappear from the scene, but in the meantime, crises involving labor can be as threatening to the life of a corporation as any of the others we have discussed. Dealing with powerful unions like the United Auto Workers had become a way of life in America’s industrial heartland. As the United States has lost its status as the unchallenged leader and become just one of the players in the world economy, the extraordinary costs of production due to labor rates in the country have made one strong business after another vulnerable to low-cost offshore producers.
