Draft Abstract: The Unionized Engineer
This article explores labor unions’ effect on engineers in Australia. With wages, centralized control and political sway within a union, engineering in Australia has become a hot-topic within the industries. The structure of a unionized profession ranges from “an organizing model” which we see often in the United States historically, to the “service model” that unions have historically been known for. This “service model” has been more often associated with the traditional role of a union, in that it is “based upon a transactional relationship where union officials deliver services and, in exchange, union members pay dues” (Carter). Engineering and technical unions in Australia have been changing and merging for many years, and have been every since the British started a branch of the Amalgamated Engineering Union in 1852 (Sheridan). There have been a number of changes within structures and associations of these unions with other countries, but Australia established their own for the first time after breaking away from the British union for the first time in 1968 and establishing the Amalgamated Metal Workers’ Union in 1972 (Sheridan). The force and the structure of a union can only be as strong as the supporters of it within the unionized profession, and this paper will go into the support and opposition for unions of engineers and how the unionization of engineering has caused a decline in the value of engineering in Australia.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPY
Sheridan, Tom. “Mindful Militants: the Amalgamated Engineering Union in Australia, 1920-1972”. Publisher: The Syndics of the Cambridge University Press, © 1975.
This book focuses on the time frame of 1920-1972 and Australia’s growth through labor unions for engineers. This book focuses on the history of what unions were in place when, and their influence politically and in industry. It comments on the hardships of the Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU) and how they overcame the obstacles presented by WWII, the Communist scare, and the aftermath of having been associated with a communist style leadership.
Matthew James. “Australia 2020: Foresight for our Future”. Science, Technology, Environment and Resources Group. 6 February 2001.
This article describes foresight and the three steps needed for an effective foresight analysis to take place. The article is an analysis of what Australia is focusing and what they should be focusing on in the author’s eyes. The author calls for the need to see beyond the next couple years to plan what will happen in a few decades and be able to incite change through environmental, political, social, and industry values. This article is not on engineering specifically, but focuses on the state of Australia in the early 200s.
Radio Australia News, “Australian parliament to debate flood levy”. 8 Feb 2011.
This article discusses the need for a levee in Australia, but the value of other restoration projects is also needed. This article is a great example of the immediate versus long term goals that the Australian government focuses on. This provides a current reaction to the need of an engineering project reported through direct media.
“Post-graduate courses in railway engineering: The needs of Australian engineers and rail organizations”
May 2000, Author: Athol Yates, Researcher: Dmitry Lobanov, The Institution of Engineers, Australia. RTSA.
This article expresses and surveys the need for railway engineers. This article contributes to the focus on the need for engineering, and that there is an expressed and surveyed need for them in Australia. The IEA shows statistics on the need for railroad engineering classes and units in their schools for higher education. The institute calls for the classes in railroad design and engineering for the graduated students to have as part of their Diploma requirements.
Bob Carter and Rae Cooper. “The Organizing Model and the Management of Change
A Comparative Study of Unions in Australia and Britain”. Relations industrielles / Industrial Relations. Publisher: Département des relations industrielles de l'Université Laval. Volume 57, Number 4. Fall 2002, p. 712-742.
This article outlines the advantages and disadvantages of having jobs unionized, and how this politically is effective and ineffective. The article goes into depth on the information and surveys performed on the debate of unionization, and unionization reform solutions. The article portrays the different sides of having unions and certain structures of unions very well.
Additional Articles Planning to Use:
Buchanan, John.“Teams and Control on the Job: Insights from the Australian Metal and Engineering Best Practice Case Studies”. Australian Centre for Industrial Relations Research and Training (ACIRRT), The University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006.
Briggs, Chris. “Australian Exceptionalism: The Role of Trade Unions in the Emergence of Enterprise Bargaining” published online: 19 DEC 2002. DOI: 10.1111/1472-9296.00003. The Journal of Industrial Relations Volume 43, Issue 1, pages 27–43, March 2001.
Sounds like a great, interesting research topic! I think the topic of unionized engineering in other countries is an interesting one just to view one of the many differences between America and other countries. Not to mention the tie-ins with the topics discussed at the beginning of this class.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I wanted to note: one of the sources you chose for this assignment to elaborate on a bit is the one about railroad engineers. I wasn't sure how this fit into your topic of unionization. I guessed that maybe unionization would motivate to fill the gap present in railway engineering(?) or something along those lines? But more specific reasoning would be helpful.
Sounds like a great, interesting research topic! I think the topic of unionized engineering in other countries is an interesting one just to view one of the many differences between America and other countries. Not to mention the tie-ins with the topics discussed at the beginning of this quarter, and extrapolates on the differences we discussed in regards to France and Britain (seems like the more relevant one in the case of Australia with their involvement in the British union).
One thing I wanted to note: one of the sources you chose for this assignment to elaborate on a bit is the one about railroad engineers. I wasn't sure how this fit into your topic of unionization. I guessed that maybe unionization would motivate to fill the gap present in railway engineering (?) or something along those lines? But more specific reasoning would be helpful.
I also think, in general, pros and cons of unionized engineering would be one of the most important points to discuss in your project. Maybe I'm slightly biased as an engineer, but I would like to see why engineers in Australia think their system is / is not good. If possible even some interviews or surveys would make great sources.
Hello Morgan,
ReplyDeleteI am excited that you have elected to pursue this project. Another way in to exploring the relationship between Australian engineers and unionization may be to identify "dominant images" of "what it means to be Australian" and then "test" these out for their impact on Australian engineering and/or usefulness as explanatory factors for the higher degree of unionization in Australia.
For example, if you look at these notes from part of the Australian Studies course entitled "Contemporary Australia" developed by the National Centre for Australian Studies at Monash University in conjuction with Open Learning Australia at http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/australia/pdf/national_id.pdf ... the authors identify the following dominant images:
* egalitarianism
* classlessness
* ‘a fair go’
* stoicism
* mateship
Where do these dominant images come from, how are they related to Australian history and politics, who do they leave out (potentially indigenous Australians, women = mates?), and how might they explain aspects of Australian engineering that differ from the UK or US (which I believe have been Australia's dominant "partners" since its founding)?
The big thing is for you to figure out what is most interesting for you and what is manageable in the next month, and then slice the topic to meet those two requirements.