Unionizing Chinese Walmart Stores

Chan, A

Unionizing Chinese Walmart Stores

Chan, A

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Publisher:: Cornell University Press
Publication Type:: Chapter
Citation:: Walmart in China, 2011, 1, pp. 199 - 216
Issue Date:: 2011-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Chan, A	en_US
dc.contributor.editor	Anita Chan	en_US
dc.date.issued	2011-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Walmart in China, 2011, 1, pp. 199 - 216	en_US
dc.identifier.isbn	978-0-8014-5020-4	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/17481
dc.description.abstract	The All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) is widely thought to be "useless." It was a surprise, therefore, when, despite the lack of any prior push by employees, the ACFTU took on Walmart in 2006 and succeeded in setting up workplace union branches at twenty-two Walmart supercenters in China within the short space of four weeks. Walmart is famously antiunion and has successfully fought off unionization in North America. It was especially surprising, therefore, when Walmart capitulated to unionization in China. Equally surprising, the ACFTU achieved this through a technique it had not endeavored since the early 1950's; grassroots union organizing. Also almost unprecedented for China was that the first new union branches were democratically elected by employees. This chapter examines the emergence of these Walmart union branches, traces what has happened to them, and discusses whether they are sustainable and can carry out collective bargaining, one of the main tasks of genuine trade unions.	en_US
dc.publisher	Cornell University Press	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Walmart in China	en_US
dc.title	Unionizing Chinese Walmart Stores	en_US
dc.type	Chapter
utslib.location	Ithaca, NY	en_US
utslib.for	1608 Sociology	en_US
utslib.citation.edition	1	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (International)
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - ACRI - Australia China Relations Institute
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.consider-herdc	true	en_US
pubs.edition	1	en_US
pubs.place-of-publication	Ithaca, NY	en_US

Abstract:

The All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) is widely thought to be "useless." It was a surprise, therefore, when, despite the lack of any prior push by employees, the ACFTU took on Walmart in 2006 and succeeded in setting up workplace union branches at twenty-two Walmart supercenters in China within the short space of four weeks. Walmart is famously antiunion and has successfully fought off unionization in North America. It was especially surprising, therefore, when Walmart capitulated to unionization in China. Equally surprising, the ACFTU achieved this through a technique it had not endeavored since the early 1950's; grassroots union organizing. Also almost unprecedented for China was that the first new union branches were democratically elected by employees. This chapter examines the emergence of these Walmart union branches, traces what has happened to them, and discusses whether they are sustainable and can carry out collective bargaining, one of the main tasks of genuine trade unions.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/17481