Development of (Post)Industrial and Labor Relations in the Political System of the United States

Abstract

The article deals with the question of the development of the American labor relations from the times just before the years of the Great Depression until the modern times, seen from the perspective of changes in the approach to forming the industrial relations, and in consequence, the postindustrial ones in the USA. The main proposition in the article is the statement that developmental trends in the American economy that are the keynote for the world economy show a clear change from relations that are industrial in character to ones that are based on economy and the society, where services are the leading sector. The thesis is illustrated by five examples from political and legislative practice that can be singled out as ones that best confirm the direction in which labor relations develop. The author hopes to draw the reader’s attention to the fact that the problems that occur in the Polish social dialog of the recent years and the struggles of the American social partners of the latest half a century are identical. Drawing conclusions from the American experiences seems useful, especially when we take into consideration the fact that Polish heavy industry plants are becoming ever more international.