Inside the circle : a union guide to QWL

This unique study of the union perspective on worker participation in management weighs the pros and cons of quality of work life (QWL) programs. Parker, a longtime union activist and skilled worker, examines employers' use of QWL as a tool in their search for a more compliant and controlled workforce. He states that employers solicit workers' knowledge under the guise of participation, but use it in support of their own goals of lower cost, greater efficiency, and higher productivity. Citing case studies, he argues that QWL pits group against group, firm against firm, and workers against workers, and that QWL programs, unless carefully monitored, may lead to undermining of the union. ISBN 089608-303-9: $30.00; ISBN 0-89608-302-0 (pbk.): $10.00.… (more)