Power in Coalition

The labor movement sees coalitions as a key tool for union revitalization and social change, but there is little analysis of what makes them successful or the factors that make them fail. Amanda Tattersall—an organizer and labor scholar—addresses this gap in the first internationally comparative study of coalitions between unions and community organizations. She argues that coalition success must be measured by two criteria: whether campaigns produce social change and whether they sustain organizational strength over time. The book contributes new, practical frameworks and insights that will help guide union and community organizers across the globe. The book throws down the gauntlet to industrial relations scholars and labor organizers, making a compelling case for unions to build coalitions that wield "power with" community organizations.Tattersall presents three detailed case studies: the public education coalition in Sydney, the Ontario Health Coalition in Toronto, and the living wage campaign run by the Grassroots Collaborative in Chicago. Together they enable Tattersall to explore when and how coalition unionism is the best and most appropriate strategy for social change, organizational development, and union renewal. Power in Coalition presents clear lessons. She suggests that "less is more," because it is often easier to build stronger coalitions with fewer organizations making decisions and sharing resources. The role of the individual, she finds, is traditionally underestimated, even though a coalition's success depends on a leader's ability to broker relationships between organizations while developing the campaign's strategy. The crafting of goals that combine organizational interest and the public interest and take into account electoral politics are crucial elements of coalition success.

Amanda Tattersall has done a terrific job of capturing and analyzing the power of 'positive-sum' coalitions, illustrating how these can effect social change in society as we as internally reinvent the member organizations. Power in Coalition provides both the academic and the activists with analytical devices for understanding the opportunities and challenges of coalitions, expanding the notion of coalition success, and clearly distinguishing three fundamental coalition elements: common concern, organizational relationships, and scale. This is a must read for scholars and practitioners in the fields of social movements, labor relations, and geography., Tattersall's interest in going beyond bemoaning unions’ decline, on the one hand, and celebrating extraordinary success stories, on the other, ought to spur further comparative analysis on the same themes. In particular, it should spark useful discussions among union activists at a time when the public is increasingly unfamiliar with the labor movement’s historic role and demands more inclusive goals from the movement—and when unions are in sore need of allies.

Amanda Tattersall is Director of the Sydney Alliance, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Unions NSW, and Honorary Associate, Work and Organizational Studies, University of Sydney.