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Purple Power: The History and Global Impact of SEIU

Online ISBN:
9780252053757
Print ISBN:
9780252044717
Publisher:
University of Illinois Press
Book

Purple Power: The History and Global Impact of SEIU

Luís LM Aguiar (ed.),
Luís LM Aguiar
(ed.)
University of British Columbia
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Joseph A. McCartin (ed.)
Joseph A. McCartin
(ed.)
Georgetown University
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Published online:
21 September 2023
Published in print:
24 January 2023
Online ISBN:
9780252053757
Print ISBN:
9780252044717
Publisher:
University of Illinois Press

Abstract

By the dawn of the twenty-first century the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) had grown to be not only the most dynamic union in North America but also an influential force in shaping union campaigns across the globe. Its growth earned it the admiration of many while also generating controversy and attracting critics who assail it for promoting a staff-driven, top-down approach to organizing. While SEIU has stirred admiration, controversy, and debate among labor advocates around the world, it still has yet to receive scholarly attention commensurate with its enormous dynamism and reach. This volume begins to rectify that by drawing together research on SEIU conducted by a wide range of scholars from around the world, who bring different sectoral foci and disciplinary perspectives to bear to tell the story of the union’s growth and influence. Part I of the book examines the dynamics of growth and transformation from its origins as a flat janitors union in Chicago in the early twentieth century to its huge international influence a century later. Part II probes the development of SEIU’s signature organizing model, from the union’s Justice for Janitors campaign through the Fight for $15. Part III examines SEIU’s bid to exert global influence, limning both its successes and its failures. Part IV considers the legacy of its campaigns for the future of organized labor.

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