In recent years industrial relations scholars have begun to reassess the historical experience in the United States with employer-dominated employee organizations. Arguing that such organizations are necessary for U.S. businesses to be competitive in international business, some scholars are attempting to rehabilitate such “company unions”. This paper examines the arguments of Bruce Kaufman, a prominent academic proponent of company unions, and concludes that the case is not made. Theoretical, methodological, and empirical problems are apparent in the argument. The article concludes by assessing the relationship between unions and corporations, and between classes in this country, and notes the failure of certain industrial relations scholars to understand the realities of those power relationships.
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