Collective action and changes in wage labor

Abstract

This study attempted to address the relative merits of the Weberian and Structural Marxist perspectives for explaining changes in the distribution of wage labor. The findings of the study suggested that many of the common assumptions held by Weberians and Structural Marxists concerning the effects of technological growth, increasing bureaucratization of production, increasing concentration of capital, and growth in the ranks of white-collar workers are not supported with data on manufacturing industries in the post-war era. Moreover, this study introduced collective action as an important determinant for explaining changes in the labor process and in the distribution of wage labor. The findings indicate that workers collective action enhances our understanding of labor process development and changes in wage labor. And, the findings suggest that the struggle between workers and capitalists is vital to understanding the process of capitalist development since World War II, contrary to the popularly held beliefs of many post-industrial theorists.