SOLIDARITY ON THE JOB: RESISTING DEHUMANIZATION AND FIGHTING FOR DEMOCRACY IN THE DIVERSE WORKPLACE

Challenging the dominant sociological framework suggesting that U.S. workers have bought into capitalist structures and internalized work cultures, this exploratory study uses the illustrative case study method to explore aspects of solidarity in the diverse workplace. In particular, it examines workers ’ actions to rectify imbalanced power relations and unjust treatment of those in marginalized statuses of class, race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and physical ability. The focus is on a variety of roles taken on by “privileged allies, ” such as inside agitators, creative bureaucrats and coalition builders, who use their organizational clout to stand with marginalized group members. Especially instructive are accounts of those in the “helping professions, ” who challenge norms of specialized expertise and professional detachment and return control back to their clients. More research is needed to compare the experience of privileged allies who are themselves members of marginalized groups with those who are dominant group members. More data are also needed to explore conditions in which a single solidarity campaign evolves into an ongoing “culture of solidarity ” in the workplace. PERSONAL REFLEXIVE STATEMENT Graduating seniors stop by my office, expressing their anxiety about getting a job in a tight labor market. Then, other concerns emerge. Many students wonder whether permanent immersion in the competitive, rule-oriented and rank- based workplace might, as one student suggested, “just suck the life right out of me.” When I ask how they’ve dealt with dehumanizing work in the past, some students casually mention their own creative “underground ” initiatives to make things more fair or humane for themselves and others. Stories especially arise around issues of diversity. I began to wonder if workplace solidarity might be more prevalent than we realize, especially to promote inclusion and democratic process. This research is a first step towards exploring the nature of solidarit