This chapter takes up right-to-work and public-sector collective bargaining legislation at the end of the 1950s and shows how they caught on in the Midwest and elsewhere over the next two decades. The chapter then considers the experience of the other two large industrial states in the region, Michigan and Illinois. While there are some notable differences within the region, such as the impressive labor–liberal coalition in Michigan, it is marked mostly by the disorganization of labor and its allies. Armed with this information, the key findings from chapters 3–5 are put in comparative perspective. While there was no magic bullet for union influence, unions succeeded when they cultivated a broad coalition or influential political allies and, importantly, when their opposition crumbled. This required the presence of unusually resourceful local activists or a push from far-sighted national organizations to overcome otherwise weak statewide organization.
Collective Bargaining and Social Pacts: Greece in Comparative Perspective
