Labor politics in the United States and South Africa

In the 1980s the United States labor movement reached new lows in union density and was detached from non-labor social movements. In contrast, the South African labor movement was growing rapidly and increasingly connected to the broader anti-Apartheid movement. But in the 1990s and 2000s they swapped places. The American labor movement began to organize low-wage workers, and became involved in struggles around immigrant rights. Meanwhile, union density in South Africa stalled and organized labor became detached from insurgencies in the townships and informal settlements.

To explain these trends I develop the concept of labor politics, which has two components: workplace politics, defined by the extent to which organized labor seeks to organize new members; and community politics, defined by the extent to which organized labor seeks to build ties with non-union organizations and movements. I argue that labor adopts an outward-looking politics when it is weak and seeking to build strength. This means it will embrace new segments of the workforce when union density is low, and seek alliances with non-labor organizations and movements when it is detached from the state and politically weak. Workplace politics and community politics are mutually reinforcing, and thus tend to mirror each other.

The divergent trajectories of labor politics in the United States and South Africa reflect divergent patterns of membership growth and state incorporation. Whereas union density declined and labor became detached from the state in California, union density increased and labor became incorporated into the state in Gauteng. In California this produced an outward-looking labor politics, with reinforcing efforts to organize new segments of the workforce and build ties with non-labor actors. In Gauteng this produced an inward-looking labor politics, with limited efforts to organize the growing precarious workforce and build ties with community struggles.