Rules to Win by : Power and Participation in Union Negotiations by Jane F. McAlevey and Abby Lawlor. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023, 312 pp., ISBN: 9780197690468, £19.99, h/b.
| Published date | 01 December 2023 |
| Author | Vincent Collins |
| Date | 01 December 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/bjir.12766 |
982 BOOK REVIEWS
DOI: 10.1111/b jir.12766
Rules to Win by : Power and Participation in Union Negotiations
by Jane F. McAlevey and Abby Lawlor. Oxford: Oxford University Press,2023, 312 pp.,
ISBN: 9780197690468, £19.99, h/b.
Vincent Collins
YorkUniversity
Email: vcollins@yorku.ca
In the face of growing inequality,rising inflation and a cost-of-living crisis, workers are navigating
a challenging terrain. Jane McAlevey and Abby Lawlor’s book, Rules to Win By, is a critical inter-
vention that charts a path for workers that builds power through a strategy of high participation
organising. The authors present strategic insights and relevant case studies that can arm workers
with the tools necessary to build a mass working-class base that can challenge the intersecting
crises that workers face.
Previous works by McAlevey have emphasised the need for labour to regain its power through
organised collective action, and this book is part of that continuum. For McAlevey and Lawlor,
this is the way to turn the tide on the last 40 years of union decline, during which time organised
labour has faced numerous attacks leading to retrenchment and ultimately defeat. Rules to Win
By dovetails nicely with McAlevey’s previous work to focus on the crucial but often archaic and
trying process of union negotiations—the make-or-break arena where everything is at stake.
The book opens with a powerful anecdote of McAlevey leading union negotiations against a
formidable employer, shedding light on the lengths union-busters hired by wealthy employers
will go to in order to intimidate workers and break the power of the union. The authors leave no
illusions as to the challenges workers are upagainst as they fight to improve their material circum-
stances and build a better world. Throughout the book, emphasis is placed on the importance of
high participation to build the power required to counterthe much greater wealth and resources of
the employer. McAleveyand Lawlor present compelling narratives of unions triumphing over the
employer class, backed by practical solutions outlined in a concise chapter detailing twenty key
elements of high-participation negotiations. Additionally, the book contains a helpful section to
demystify jargon through a project of radical transparencythat is embodied in the book, providing
workers with the necessary tools to confront an aggressive employer. This radical transparency,
according to the authors, is a core factor in achieving success in negotiations and ultimately secur-
ing victory for workers. They contend that bringing more people into the processthrough ‘big and
open bargaining’ is key to achieving victory at the bargaining table. The examples described by
McAlevey and Lawlor provide much needed strategic nuance and a tempered optimism, while
reinforcing the central importance of labour unions for workers and the broader working-class.
Timely and relevant for those organising today, the book addresses one of the central tactics
deployed by employers after union certification: delay. Delay is often used to frustrate the mem-
bership and can result in demoralisation. Although North America is experiencing an uptick in
labour union organising, a recent study quoted by the authors highlights that 12 months after
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