Review by Choice Review
Every day in China, workers--often migrant--protest low wages, poor working conditions, and managerial misconduct. Sometimes their grievances are widely known and satisfactorily addressed, but usually they are not. Friedman (Cornell Univ.) explores the nexus of the state-party and All China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) at the national and local levels and the inability of workers to achieve their protest goals. Based largely on fieldwork in Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces, where unions are experimenting with new initiatives, leadership models, and organizational forms, the book discusses the disconnect between the interests of workers and those of factory managers, the local ACFTU leaders, and the state-party. Managers and union leaders are nearly always party members, and union leaders are typically chosen by the factory managers; workers often have no knowledge of their putative union, and rarely have voice in selecting leaders or determining the goals and methods of the local union. Will workers gain a voice within unions and power to negotiate with firms? Will the party-state act on behalf of workers or provide a framework within which worker rights are established and enforced? These are the central questions posed throughout the book. --Marcia J. Frost, Wittenberg University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
