How Latin American labor unions are developing new strategies to defend workers' interests in a global economy.

Mark S. Anner is Assistant Professor of Labor Studies and Political Science at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park.

The book adds to a body of literature... that explores new strategies for organized labour within the context of a global economy often hostile to union organization.... He admirably demonstrates the costs of persistent division within organized labour, long-standing political schisms having been exacerbated by the segmentation initiated by transnational production regimes.

Chad Gray:

Anner's theoretical contributions [to the literature on labor solidarity] alone would be enough to recommend the book, but what makes Solidarity Transformed a truly unique work are Anner’s personal experiences as an international trade union activist, primarily in El Salvador in the 1980s and 1990s.... His role as a participant-observer gives the book a level of urgency and engagement rarely seen in scholarly works.

Anner's book is an informative, rich analysis of labor movements, successful and unsuccessful, in Latin America.... Anner carefully combines theory and case-study analysis to reveal what techniques were successful or not in the context of each industry and country.... His years of primary fieldwork and in-country experiences add richness to the analysis... [and] his conclusions are generalizable beyond Latin America and the industries examined.... Highly recommended.

Jose A. Aleman:

Solidarity Transformed is one of the first studies of labor politics in less developed countries that systematically incorporates the transnational dimension. Anner has done a tremendous amount of fieldwork, and this comes across in his intimate knowledge not only of particular countries but also of firms and unions. The book also serves to chart an agenda for future scholars of labor and other social movements.... It is a major contribution to the literature on labor politics, globalization and state–society relations. The book deserves to be widely read.

Steve Striffler, Professor and Doris Zemurray Stone Chair in Latin American Studies, University of New Orleans:

Why have Latin American labor unions had such a tough time as their countries have returned to democratic rule? We understand why labor unions struggled under authoritarian rule, but why haven't we seen a great surge in labor organizing as the repression stopped and the political system opened up? Mark S. Anner provides a compelling and provocative answer to this important question by looking at what unions—both left and conservative—have done in the recent past, how these strategies are different from earlier ones, how they have worked and not worked, and how they have brought together new allies. It's a crucial contribution to our understanding of contemporary Latin America.

Gay Seidman, University of Wisconsin–Madison:

Over the past two decades, labor activists and scholars have often bemoaned the way globalization has weakened traditional labor unions. In this careful (but very readable) comparative study of labor campaigns in both apparel and auto production across Latin America, prominent labor strategist Mark Anner details some of the responses of labor activists. Paying close attention to variation in corporate structure, national institutions, and activists' ideologies, Anner offers important new insights into the way rapidly changing global production patterns can create new opportunities, as well as new challenges, for labor solidarity. Solidarity Transformed is an important contribution; this book is a must-read for anyone interested in debates about labor in a rapidly changing world.