Book Review: Collective Bargaining in the Public Sector

• Author: Richard C. Kearney
• Date: 01 December 2002
• DOI: 10.1177/073437102237818
• Published date: 01 December 2002
• Subject Matter: Articles

BOOK REVIEWS
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claimed to involve some type of emotional labor were compiled, it would
undoubtedly be much longer than Hochschild’s original estimate. At the
same time, however, there remains little consensus about precisely how
emotional labor should be measured and whether this aspect of a job can be
captured in large-scale survey research or requires a more qualitative
approach.
Hochschild’s claims about the possible psychological consequences of
emotional labor have also been investigated. Here, the results are more
mixed. As she suggests, jobs that require emotional labor present some
unique challenges for workers. By identifying these challenges, The Man-
aged Heart has been extremely influential among human resource profes-
sionals as they devise ways to prevent the negative psychological outcomes
described in her book. At the same time, it is important not to overstate the
negative consequences of emotional labor; research suggests, for example,
that the performance of emotional labor can be empowering for some
workers. Identifying the conditions under which service workers experi-
ence the kind of self-estrangement Hochschild observed, and when they are
empowered, remains an important, ongoing task. Human resource profes-
sionals and those they serve stand to benefit greatly from the continuation
of Hochschild’s pioneering work.
REFERENCE
Bell, Daniel. (1976). The coming of post-industrial society: A venture in social forecasting. New
York: Basic Books.
—Amy S. Wharton
Washington State University
Najita, Joyce M., and Stern, James L. (Eds.). (2001). Collective Bargaining
in the Public Sector. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe, 270 pp.
DOI: 10.1177/073437102237818
Public employee unions and collective bargaining are important features
of human resource management in the majority of states. Collective bar-
gaining rights have been won by one or more major employee functions
through statute, executive order, or court rulings in all but 8 states. Union
membership peaked in...