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Arise

Power, Strategy and Union Resurgence

Jane Holgate author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Pluto Press

Published:20th Aug '21

Should be back in stock very soon

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Arise cover

In Arise, Jane Holgate challenges unions to rethink their power strategies to effectively confront modern economic challenges and empower workers.

In Arise, Jane Holgate presents a compelling argument for trade unions to reassess their approach to power in order to regain their influence and effectively challenge capital. Drawing from her extensive research and two decades of organizing experience, Holgate explores the various dimensions of union strategy, including leadership, democracy, and the political landscape that shapes union activities. She emphasizes the importance of empowering rank-and-file members and examining the strategic choices that unions make in the face of evolving challenges.

The context in which Arise is set is crucial; the labour movement finds itself navigating a neoliberal era characterized by economic crises and political instability. While union membership is experiencing a resurgence, the shift towards organizing has not yet yielded significant benefits for workers. Holgate addresses the growing concerns about a lack of collectivism among workers, particularly in light of casualization and gig work, which echo the conditions faced by early unionists in the 19th century.

By incorporating historical insights and case studies of unions that have successfully harnessed power, the book provides actionable strategies to overcome the prevailing pessimism within the current union landscape. Holgate's work is a call to action, reminding us that by re-centering power analysis in the labor struggle, transformative change is not only achievable but also within our grasp.

'Jane Holgate is a brilliant thinker. By centring her thesis on power, this book contributes to our understanding of what strategies and mechanisms enable workers to stand a chance at achieving justice'

-- Jane McAlevey is an organiser, scholar and author of 'No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age' (Oxford University Press, 2018)

'A must-read - by a top-class scholar, union educator and activist, and written with exceptional clarity. Readers will come away with a deeper understanding of the world and with the tools to change it'

-- John Kelly, Emeritus Professor of Industrial Relations at Birkbeck College University of London

'Part history text, part employment relations research; Jane Holgate's book critiques decades of union renewal strategies in the UK and questions assumptions from both the left and right over how to regain collective power rather than just recruit new members'

-- Dave Smith is a blacklisted construction worker and co-author of 'Blacklisted: The Secret War Between Big Business and Union Activists' (New Internationalist, 2016)

'A brilliant treatise on how to think about worker power in the context of sweeping structural change. It is well past time for labour scholars to return to this fundamental question and Jane Holgate has made an indispensable contribution to the canon'

-- Janice Fine, Professor of Labour Studies and Employment Relations, Rutgers University and Director of Research and Strategy at the Centre on Innovation in Worker Organisation

'An excellent review of the leaps forward and setbacks for workers and their unions, and an invaluable read for Jane Holgate's astute analyses. But that's not what the book is about. It is about power. Power for workers, which is the reason for organising, and which is too often forgotten in the daily struggle. We can continue on the current path to oblivion, with unions becoming little more than legacy politicians, or remember our roots and aggressively organise in new ways with workers in an evolving economy'

-- Wade Rathke, founder and Chief Organiser of ACORN International

'In examining the problems that we have to face to rebuild the movement, this analysis of power, who has it and how to build it, is a must-read for aspiring activists. An essential book for those who are committed to the idea that trade unionism is a vehicle through which we can organise to delivering transformative change for all workers'

-- Wilf Sullivan, Race Equality Officer for the Trades Union Congress (TUC)

'Jane Holgate's experience as an academic and a union activist has given her unique insights that make this book an important read for anyone who wants to understand where unions have been, where they are now and where they need to go'

-- Arnie Graf, community organiser with the Industrial Areas Foundation and author of 'Lessons Learned. Stories from a Lifetime of Organizing' (ACTA Publications, 2020)

'Arise brings together a range of material including working class history and powerful critiques of union attempts at rejuvenation to produce a useful contribution to the vital debates about the workers’ movement'

-- ‘rs21’

'An essential read for activists, labour leaders, union organisers and academics who seek to create a better world.'

-- 'Transfer: European Review of Labour and Resea

ISBN: 9780745344027

Dimensions: 215mm x 135mm x 19mm

Weight: 278g

272 pages