IS THE AMERICAN LABOUR-MANAGEMENT RELATIONSHIP CHANGING?

Important changes have been seen in the attitudes of both labor and management in the US, with executives' traditional attitudes seeming to be evolving toward a greater acceptance of employee input. Recently, participative management programs have developed, taking the form of: 1. profit-sharing plans, 2. labor-management committees, 3. quality of working life programs, 4. quality circles, and 5. co-ownership. As yet, only a small number of organizations are using these techniques. The Japanese and European models of industrial relations are evaluated in terms of their appropriateness for use in the US. Conclusions include: 1. Without government legislation, voluntary programs lack a developmental perspective. 2. Neither the Japanese nor the European system of industrial relations can be used as a model for the US. 3. With the division of labor-relations into unionized and nonunionized sectors, US programs are suspended between the management-dominated paternalist and the collective bargaining perspective.