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Labour-Management Relations and New Public Management: The American Experience

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

Steven W. Hays
Steven W. Hays*
Affiliation:
Department of Government and International Studies, University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA
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Abstract

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This paper provides a broad overview of the role that unions have, and have not — played in the unfolding drama of public management reform in the United States. Factors impeding the ability of unions to shape the reform movement are highlighted. Fragmentation of power and even the absence of rudimentary collective bargaining rights in many locations restrict civil servants’ ability to influence the reform agenda. As a result, New Public Management (NPM) initiatives have progressed in a fashion that often works to the disadvantage of public workers. ‘De-privileging’, privatisation, and devolution of public agencies have become almost ubiquitous. The paper concludes with the observation that NPM offers a golden opportunity, if not the obligation, for management and labour to adopt a more cooperative and participatory approach to policy making in the workplace.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Economic and Labour Relations Review , Volume 13 , Issue 1 , June 2002 , pp. 7 - 35
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2002

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