1. Home
  2. Students
  3. Chapter 12 - Finding the Meaning of Work in the Factory and on the Picket Line

Chapter 12 - Finding the Meaning of Work in the Factory and on the Picket Line

Amy O’Connor and Emily A. Paskewitz

Synopsis

In August 2011, American Crystal Sugar (ACS), locked out approximately 1,300 Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International union workers from five plants in the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota. Lockouts, in contrast to strikes, are initiated by management as a way to control the timing and duration of labor disruptions, strengthen their negotiation position, and weaken unions. Using data from interviews with 51 locked out workers and 27 secondary data sources, this case study offers a composite narrative in journal format of a locked out ACS union worker, Walter, and his experiences during the lockout.

Keywords: Lockouts, Meaning of Work, Labor Negotiations, Labor Relations, Ethics

Key Takeaways and Take a Stand Form

Key Takeaways

This case highlights the way the meaning of work is constructed in the midst of labor disputes. By the end of this case study you will understand the following concepts:

  1. The meaning of work is socially constructed. Workers, managers, community members and others understand work as being more than an economic condition. Work (or the lack thereof) impacts social, cultural, and political concerns as well as economic imperatives.
  2. When work is considered more fully, ethical tensions arise based on an individual’s position and values. For example, management/laborer; profits/equity; stakeholders/shareholders are all tensions that may be brought into sharp relief in labor disputes.
  3. Expectations about work are informed by organizational structure (e.g. corporation, cooperative, nonprofit).
  4. The differences between lockouts and strikes and how those differences may influence management/labor relations.

Take a Stand Form