ABSTRACT
Violations of contract generally are very seldom referred to the country’s courts, and in practice industrial disputes are settled through the established collective bargaining machinery. The American motor industry has been characterized by very rapid growth, and by continuing concentration in the hands of a few producers. Several distinguishing features of the American industry’s labour relations have been imposed by the U.A.W., which has been a major force in the industry since the late 1930s. As dominating the largest of all motor industries, it is perhaps worthwhile to go into some detail on the US autobomile firms’ labour arrangements. Inter-plant and inter-firm wage differentials have been reduced since the 1930s. There is no formal ‘union shop’, but union membership seems generally accepted as a behavioural norm, and approximates to 100 per cent for the car firms’ manual workers, notwithstanding that these apparently include proportionately more women than in Britain, as well as a large minority of foreigners.
