Work, Workfare, and Contention in New York City

The Potential of Flexible Identities in Organizing Opposition To Workfare

Bibliographic Data

ID2371648
AuthorsJ Krinsky (0009-0003-4137-4703, Columbia University, corresponding author)
Year1998
Volume24
Issue3
Pages277-305
Publication date1998-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCritical Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0896-9205 • E-ISSN: 1569-1632
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/089692059802400306
OpenAlexW2108114211
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited29

In the past two years, workfare has expanded and changed in New York City. From a program requiring 10,000 welfare recipients to work, look for work, or enter education or training programs, it has mushroomed into a program requiring nearly 40,000 recipients at any one time to work for City agencies or contracted nonprofits. The program is set to expand further. Workfare workers represent a new, flexible public workforce whose presence undermines pay and labor standards throughout the municipal employment sector. Workfare workers enjoy little protection, and do not have the right to collectively bargain. This paper examines recent efforts by unions and community organizations to organize workfare workers. Situating the discussion in recent developments in economic sociology, class analysis, and social movement research, it draws on interviews with activists to ask how the uncertainty of flexibility can become an asset to organizing, rather than just an obstacle to it

Economic growth · Economics · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Sociology · Welfare · Workfare · Workforce · Employment and Welfare Studies · Labor Movements and Unions · Law · Public Administration · Social Policy and Reform Studies

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