Hot coal, cold steel

In a comparative study of coal miners and steelworkers at the end of the Soviet era, Stephen Crowley sheds light on where these industrial workers have been and where they are going. Coal miners in the final years of the Soviet Union organized and led strikes that supported the end of Communism, even though their heavy subsidies would be threatened by capitalism. Steelworkers, in contrast, did not effectively organize and strike. This pattern has continued under the new governments, with the coal miners well organized and seeking protection from the worst consequences of marketization, while the steelworkers unions remain weak despite deteriorating economic conditions. Based on extensive archival and on-site research, including interviews with miners and steelworkers, labor leaders, and plant managers, Crowley develops a detailed picture of the conditions under which workers organize. His findings go beyond the conditions of post-Communist Russia and the Ukraine to have applications for other societies undergoing fundamental change. This book will be of interest to sociologists and political scientists interested in the role of labor in transitional societies and the patterns of organization of labor, as well as to Russian and East European area specialists.