Are contemporary U.S. labor unions irrelevant, or in fact a changing force to be reckoned with as they grow into a new economy in a globalized America? Is the current political power exercised by U.S. labor unions more akin to the social movements of the sixties or the interest politics of the nineties? After winning the presidency of the AFL-CIO in 1995, John Sweeney and his colleagues have taken strides to make labor more important in the United States economically and politically, despite reduced membership. Here, four authors come together to survey the status of labor unions past, present, and future, nationally as well as through the microcosm of the labor situation in Ohio, one of the largest, most representative, and most electorally significant states in the country. The authors focus on union membership, leadership, political attitudes, strategies, and grassroots mobilization to paint a picture of union revitalization in a context of economic and social change. American labor still wields clout on Election Day, but union revitalization is a work in progress. For unions to matter every day to their members and leaders, they must consolidate their economic bases and rise to the challenges carefully documented in this book.

American Labor Unions in the Electoral Arena

Herbert B. Asher

Reference

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Are contemporary U.S. labor unions irrelevant, or in fact a changing force to be reckoned with as they grow into a new economy in a globalized America? Is the current political power exercised by U.S. labor unions more akin to the social movements of the sixties or the interest politics of the nineties? After winning the presidency of the AFL-CIO in 1995, John Sweeney and his colleagues have taken strides to make labor more important in the United States economically and politically, despite reduced membership. Here, four authors come together to survey the status of labor unions past, present, and future, nationally as well as through the microcosm of the labor situation in Ohio, one of the largest, most representative, and most electorally significant states in the country. The authors focus on union membership, leadership, political attitudes, strategies, and grassroots mobilization to paint a picture of union revitalization in a context of economic and social change. American labor still wields clout on Election Day, but union revitalization is a work in progress. For unions to matter every day to their members and leaders, they must consolidate their economic bases and rise to the challenges carefully documented in this book.

American Labor Unions in the Electoral Arena (People, Passions, and Power: Social Movements, Interest Organizations, and the P)

Business & Money

Eric S. Heberlig

Randall B. Ripley

Economics

Despite their pervasiveness in American life, with subjects ranging from how citizens will vote in presidential elections to opinions about American Idol contestants, considerable misunderstanding exists about the conduct and interpretation of polls. Politicians, interest groups, political parties, advertisers, media outlets, and academics alike point to what the public has expressed through any number of public opinion polls to bolster their positions and arguments. Given the ever-increasing prevalence and frequent misinterpretation of polls, students need to become better consumers of poll results. This updated seventh edition builds on a proven framework, closely examining structural aspects of polls, methodological procedures, and the function of polls in electoral politics. New material examines a number of methodological areas including possible meanings of the "don′t know" or middle response, more detailed coverage of sampling and response rates, consideration of nonattitudes, and greater discussion of reliability, validity and index construction. End-of-chapter exercises further the book’s goal of educating individuals to become savvy to the use and misuse of polls.

Polling and the Public: What Every Citizen Should Know

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

CQ Press

How can a public opinion poll of only 1,500 Americans accurately represent the entire population? Asher demystifies this and other polling issues with clear descriptions, colorful anecdotes, and such up-to-date examples as polls concerning doctor-assisted suicide and NATO expansion. He explains how the wording and ordering of the survey questions, and the interviewer's techniques profoundly affect the response the pollster gets.
Public opinion polls are pervasive, influencing discourse and decision-making on practically every issue of public life. Yet they are poorly understood and often misused. Asher explores how polls are constructed, conducted, and interpreted - and what role they have in influencing the very attitudes they measure. He discusses the use of polls in campaign politics and media coverage of public opinion, and he guides readers to make their own judgments.

Polling and the Public: What Every Citizen Should Know, Fifth Edition

Politics & Government

Cq Pr

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Books by Herbert B. Asher