Virginia Doellgast
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801450471
- eISBN:
- 9780801463976
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801450471.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Occupations, Professions, and Work
The shift from manufacturing- to service-based economies has often been accompanied by the expansion of low-wage and insecure employment. Many consider the effects of this shift inevitable. This book ...
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The shift from manufacturing- to service-based economies has often been accompanied by the expansion of low-wage and insecure employment. Many consider the effects of this shift inevitable. This book contends that high pay and good working conditions are possible even for marginal service jobs. This outcome, however, depends on strong labor unions and encompassing collective bargaining institutions, which are necessary to give workers a voice in the decisions that affect the design of their jobs and the distribution of productivity gains. The book's conclusions are based on a comparative study of the changes that occurred in the organization of call center jobs in the United States and Germany following the liberalization of telecommunications markets. The research found that German managers more often took the “high road” than those in the United States, investing in skills and giving employees more control over their work. The book traces the difference to stronger institutional supports for workplace democracy in Germany. However, these democratic structures were increasingly precarious, as managers in both countries used outsourcing strategies to move jobs to workplaces with lower pay and weaker or no union representation. The book's findings show the importance of policy choices in closing off these escape routes, promoting broad access to good jobs in expanding service industries.Less
The shift from manufacturing- to service-based economies has often been accompanied by the expansion of low-wage and insecure employment. Many consider the effects of this shift inevitable. This book contends that high pay and good working conditions are possible even for marginal service jobs. This outcome, however, depends on strong labor unions and encompassing collective bargaining institutions, which are necessary to give workers a voice in the decisions that affect the design of their jobs and the distribution of productivity gains. The book's conclusions are based on a comparative study of the changes that occurred in the organization of call center jobs in the United States and Germany following the liberalization of telecommunications markets. The research found that German managers more often took the “high road” than those in the United States, investing in skills and giving employees more control over their work. The book traces the difference to stronger institutional supports for workplace democracy in Germany. However, these democratic structures were increasingly precarious, as managers in both countries used outsourcing strategies to move jobs to workplaces with lower pay and weaker or no union representation. The book's findings show the importance of policy choices in closing off these escape routes, promoting broad access to good jobs in expanding service industries.
