Providing a detailed study of trade union organization and activity in the workplace, this analysis focuses on the shop steward. It is based on case studies of shop stewards' organization during three decades of radical change in employment relations within three Merseyside manufacturing plants: food (Birds Eye), printing (Bemrose) and the motor industry (Ford). The work examines the relationships between shop stewards and management, members and full-time union officials, and addresses contemporary debates about the nature of workplace unionism.
