Although exclusion has defined union politics for much of the 20th century, its limits are clear today. Union membership and capacity is declining, and historically disadvantaged workers such as racialized immigrants and women with whom unions have weak linkages are employed in expanding sectors of the low-paid, service economy. By conducting a comparative historical analysis of the US and South Korean labor movements, this article argues that shifts in the balance of power among labor, capital and the state under processes of globalization have fueled more inclusive directions for labor. Contrary to conventional wisdom, workers in the lower tier — a group commonly perceived as lacking the resources and power to challenge downgraded forms of employment — are pivotal to overcoming the exclusionary legacies of the past. The weakening basis of power for workers in the upper tier, the reconstitution of the lower tier, and social movement legacies play a major role in transforming the state of labor politics.
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