Workers, Collectivism and the Law

Laura Carlson, School of Law, Stockholm University, Sweden

'Professor Laura Carlson, with multi-national legal experience, is an ideal scholar to explore how the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, and the US have provided diverse legal structures and mechanisms for individual and collective employee voice in the workplace. The book offers well-researched legal and historical background and insightful analysis and comparison of the countries' unique approaches.'--Laura J. Cooper, University of Minnesota Law School, US and Co-Editor, ABA Journal of Labor and Employment Law'Against a rich historical canvas, Carlson explores procedural democracy involving individual and collective labour claims in Germany, Sweden, the UK and the US. Pointing to the common trends and unique features of these systems, this informative book is a useful contribution to the literature on employee voice.'--Anne Trebilcock, Georg-August University, Germany'In this important work, Laura Carlson explores the intersections between law, democracy and collective voice from a comparative perspective. It blends historical sensitivity and theoretical sophistication to produce a work of real scholarly importance. Given the rise of nationalism, authoritarianism and growing social and economic inequalities across Europe, its publication could not be more timely. It deserves to be widely read.'--Alan Bogg, University of Bristol Law School, UK

• Contents: Introduction to Workers, Collectivism and the Law Part I Workers, collectivism and the law historically 1. Guilds: Brother[sister]hood, friendship and mutual aid 2. The golden age of the English guilds 3. The rise of labor in England 4. Labor in Germany: Rapid transformations 5. Labor in Sweden: Seamless transitions 6. Labor in the United States: The Court is King 7. International influences and congruences Part II The Modern National Labor Law Models 8. Employee voice in the United Kingdom 9. Employee voice in Germany: Dual channels 10. Employee voice in Sweden 11. Employee voice in the United States 12. Voice, democracy, and collectivism in the different systems Bibliography Index