A Critical View of Worker Participation in American Industry

Abstract

Some analysts of worker participation have argued that it does not improve productivity as much as its proponents suggest, while others argue that it is an effective catalyst for expanding worker control over the labor process. This article examines the experience of worker participation and finds that the tendency is for such programs to weaken unions and limit workers' power in significant ways. In union workplaces, such programs disable existing grievance mechanisms and worker solidarity, while transferring knowledge from workers to management. In nonunion settings, worker participation programs can promote managerial attitudes, while either supplanting or preventing unionism.