Plant Closings: Power, Politics, and Workers

Why has the drastic assault on U.S. workers’ economic well-being represented by plant closings not spurred them to greater political and trade union militancy? The answers lie in the myths and power structure of our society’s legal and business institutions. By comparing worker experiences in Youngstown, Ohio, where plant closings and layoffs are not regulated, and Longwy, France, where legislation had been enacted, Rothstein gauges the markedly different effects.