The United Auto Workers Union as American Vanguard, 1935 to 1970: Reality Or Illusion?

摘要

The book reviewed in this essay adopts the position that the UAW, and its long-time leader Waiter Reuther, were among the main progenitors of a distinctly American version of social democracy, if not indeed its sole architects. While not denying some of the unionu27s significant collective bargaining victories, obtained from some of the worldu27s largest and most powerful auto manufacturers, combined with its commitment to developing a social democratic polity in the United States, I maintain that Reuther and the UAW also must be evaluated on other criteria such as the internal regime consciously constructed in pursuit of the unionu27s goals.