Abstract

The International Political Economy of the United Auto Workers

The US economy was hit with inflation, two oil shocks, Japanese imports and much more in the 1970s, leading to the US running its first trade deficit since 1893. Consumers demanded smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles that the Japanese industry was well-positioned to supply. The United Auto Workers union traditionally supported free trade, however at the end of the postwar boom they began to ask for protection against foreign imports. This essay examines how the traditionally liberal internationalist union responded to the changing composition of the global economy, analyzing differences of opinion between union leadership and the rank and file. The UAW organized transnationally through unions such as the International Metalworkers Federation to combat multinational corporations. Ultimately they failed to match the international capabilities of mobile capital, and their pleas for protection left the union in a weakened position towards the end of the twentieth century.