Justice at Work
The Rise of Economic and Racial Justice Coalitions in Cities
LISTEN: Marc Doussard in conversation with David B. Reynolds about the rise of coalitions in cities
Justice at Work examines the mutually reinforcing roles of economic and racial justice organizing and policy entrepreneurship in building power and support for policy changes. Bridging urban social movement and urban politics studies, and through case studies in cities including Chicago, Seattle, and New Orleans, it demonstrates how economic and racial justice coalitions are collectively the critical institution underpinning progressive change.
In the 2010s cities and counties across the United States witnessed long-overdue change as they engaged more than ever before with questions of social, economic, and racial justice. After decades of urban economic restructuring that intensified class divides and institutional and systemic racism, dozens of local governments countered the conventional wisdom that cities couldn’t address inequality—enacting progressive labor market policies, from $15 minimum wages to paid sick leave.
Justice at Work examines the mutually reinforcing roles of economic and racial justice organizing and policy entrepreneurship in building power and support for policy changes. Bridging urban social movement and urban politics studies, it demonstrates how economic and racial justice coalitions are collectively the critical institution underpinning progressive change. It also shows that urban policy change is driven by “urban policy entrepreneurs” who use public space and the intangible resources of the city to open “agenda windows” for progressive policy proposals incubated through national networks.
Through case studies of organizing and policy change efforts in cities including Chicago, Seattle, and New Orleans around minimum wages, targeted hiring, paid time off, fair scheduling, and anti-austerity, Marc Doussard and Greg Schrock show that the contemporary wave of successful progressive organizing efforts is likely to endure. Yet they caution that success is dependent on skillful organizing that builds and sustains power at the grassroots—and skillful policy work inside City Hall. By promoting justice at—and increasingly beyond—work, these movements hold the potential to unlock a new model for inclusive economic development in cities.
Marc Doussard and Greg Schrock lucidly expose the ways in which nationally networked activists have mobilized to win major policy victories that advance class and racial justice in cities across the United States, despite the formidable political challenges of the neoliberal era. This fresh and important contribution illuminates the crucial role of twenty-first-century cities as incubators of progressive social change.
Ruth Milkman, author of Immigrant Labor and the New Precariat
This book readjusts the understanding of how and where political agendas are made.
CHOICE
Justice at Work is an impressive book, providing unique insight into a new era in urban politics.
Journal of the American Planning Association
Doussard and Schrock propose a new approach to urban theory and practice. Rather than focus on elites—casting resistance as ill-informed and futile—they look at resistance first, finding new support for concepts that seek racial or distributive justice.
Progressive City
Contents
Introduction
1. The Upside of Globalization: City Power in the Urban Age
2. Economic and Racial Justice Coalitions: Diverse Social Movements Challenge Inequality
3. Urban Policy Entrepreneurs: Networked Policy Change from the Grassroots
4. Organizing for Better Jobs: The Fight for $15 Transforms Urban Politics
5. Good Jobs for All: Targeted Hiring Combats Racism at Work
6. Justice beyond Work: Sick Days, Fair Schedules, and the Politics of Social Reproduction
7. “Wall Street Is a Racist Conspiracy”: Racial Justice and the Fight against Austerity
Conclusion: The Promising Work of Justice
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
