The Dogs That Did Bark: White-Collar Unions and Protests in Moscow in the Eastern European Post-Communist Context

Igor Bazay, University of Pennsylvania

Abstract

This study will examine whether Russian labor is truly “quiescent” by examining general activity in Moscow from 2000 to 2014 and then focusing on white-collar union activity. The results indicate that over this period, the unions representing healthcare workers, teachers, and academics were very active and often achieved concessions from the government such as higher wages or changes to proposed reforms. These findings are important in the context of other post-communist states (Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic) as they indicate that institutional differences like method of unionization and unions’ political involvement led to different results for white-collar unions in these countries. Finally, this study makes clear that while institutional differences and the legacy of communism can lead to different outcomes, white-collar unions in Moscow have effectively used various forms of political pressure to press for concessions and policy changes.

Discipline(s)

Comparative Politics

Suggested Citation

Bazay, Igor, "The Dogs That Did Bark: White-Collar Unions and Protests in Moscow in the Eastern European Post-Communist Context" 01 January 2015. CUREJ: College Undergraduate Research Electronic Journal, University of Pennsylvania, https://repository.upenn.edu/curej/189.