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14 - Labor, Workers’ Rights, and Democracy in Latin America

from Part IV - Country and Regional Perspectives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2022

By
Mark Anner
Edited by
Angela B. Cornell  and
Mark Barenberg
Angela B. Cornell
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
Mark Barenberg
Affiliation:
Columbia University, New York
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Summary

This chapter traces Latin America’s labor movement’s long, tumultuous struggle for workers’ rights, equity, and democracy through periods of corporatism, authoritarian rule, neoliberalism, and contemporary left- and right-wing populist governments. This chapter argues that, while segments of Latin America’s labor movements have, at times, collaborated with autocratic elites, a significant share of labor leaders and members have fought for democratization not out of perceived partisan advantage, but rather out of commitment to the principles of liberal democracy – and labor has often realized that commitment by strengthening democracy. This chapter examines theoretical debates on labor and democracy and labor’s role in the struggle for democratization and equity during crucial periods in regime formation and transition in Latin America.

Keywords

Latin Americaworkers’ rightsdemocracyinequalityright-wing populismlabor unions
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Labor and Democracy , pp. 237 - 249
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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