Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant: Legal Action and Collective Bargaining for Workers in a Global Economy

本项目研究工人如何通过法律行动或集体谈判来解决争议。它试图了解工人如何以及何时能够增加他们的权利，即使他们在工作场所很少得到政治支持并且能力有限。该研究提出了三个问题：(1)为什么一些低薪工人使用法律行动，而另一些则使用集体谈判？(2)当工人试图进行集体谈判时，为什么有些人能够把管理层带到谈判桌上，而另一些人却不能？(3)如果采取法律行动，为什么有些工人试图利用法律来扩大他们的权利，而其他人却没有？为了回答这些问题，该研究比较了六个不同的劳资纠纷案例，并重点关注中国南方管理层、国家当局和从事劳工工作的非政府组织（劳工非政府组织）的作用。数据收集结合了对工人、律师和与案件有关的非政府组织的采访，每个案件的存档文件中的法律和组织文件，媒体报道和法庭听证会的参与者观察笔记以及与工人的会议。预计管理人员和公司层面的因素将在工人决定使用法律行动或尝试集体谈判方面发挥关键作用。国家当局在集体谈判过程中起着至关重要的作用，它们的干预使一些工人能够把管理层带到谈判桌上。最后，劳工非政府组织可以引导一些工人采取法律行动来扩大自己的权利；另一方面，不参与劳工非政府组织的工人则严格地利用法庭来追回物质利益。这项研究将增加我们对中国当代工业环境的了解。这些知识将改善与中国的商业和政治关系，导致对各方都有利的更富有成效的关系。

This project studies how workers engage in either legal action or collective bargaining for dispute resolution. It seeks to understand how and when workers are able increase their rights, even when they find little political support and have limited capacities within the workplace. The study asks three questions: (1) Why do some low wage workers use legal action while others use collective bargaining?, (2) When workers attempt collective bargaining why are some able to bring management to the bargaining table and others not?, and(3) If taking legal action, why do some workers attempt to use the law to expand their rights when others do not? To answer these questions, the study compares six different cases of labor disputes and focuses on the role of management, state authorities, and non-governmental organizations working in labor (labor NGOs) in southern China. The data collection combines interviews with workers, attorneys, and non-government organizations associated with the cases with legal and organizational documents from archived files on each case, media reports and participant observation notes from court hearings and meetings with workers. It is expected that managers and firm-level factors will play a crucial role in workers' decisions to use legal action or attempt collective bargaining. State authorities are critical in the collective bargaining process, and their intervention enables some workers to bring management to the bargaining table. Finally, labor NGOs may guide some workers to use legal action to expand their rights; on the other hand, workers who do not engage with labor NGOs use the courtroom strictly for recovering material interests. This study will increase our knowledge of the contemporary industrial setting in China. Such knowledge will improve business and political relationships with China, leading to a more productive relationship to the advantage of all parties.