New unionism is a term used to describe moves to broaden the trade union agenda. It has been used twice in the history of the labor movement. Ben Tillett was a prominent leader of the London Dock strike of 1889. He formed the Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Laborers' Union in 1889, which had support from skilled workers. Its 30,000 members won an advance in wages and working conditions.

History

1880s

In the British trade union movement in the late 1880s, the new unions differed from the older craft unions in several respects. Later, the traditional view of the new unions as militant, fighting unions informed by socialist politics was modified. Although the new unions sponsored many large strikes in their early years, most, in fact, favored conciliation and accommodation. Similarly, although new union leaders espoused socialism, it was often of a moderate kind. The most prominent new unions were:

1980s–present

In 1988, US labour relations academic Charles Heckscher published The New Unionism: Employee Involvement in the Changing Corporation, one of a series of influential papers that encouraged the union movement to reconsider questions of industrial democracy. The UK Trades Union Congress ran an ambitious new unionism project from 1997 to 2003, seeking to apply a dual strategy of organizing and partnership in an attempt to reinvigorate the movement. The decline in union membership ended, but the net effect is still subject to debate within the movement. Unions such as the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in North America and the Public Services Association (PSA) in New Zealand have combined innovative organizing and partnership combinations with notable success, leading to large and sustained membership gains (about 50% in each case) and increased influence and activism at workplace level. An international new unionism network was launched in 2007 to bring unionists and labor supporters together around developing and applying these principles. The network provides fora and other resources for those interested in implementing the agenda.