This volume investigates the profound crisis facing North American auto unions in the wake of the Fordist production model's decline and the rise of Japanese lean production practices. U.S. and Canadian scholars examine the comparative labor relations within Japanese auto transplants in North America, including joint ventures with the Big Three and Japanese-style GM plants. The core of their analysis centers on how the Japanese lean production model has challenged the organizing, collective bargaining, and shop floor representation of North American auto labor, and the responses of the United Auto Workers and Canadian Auto Workers. The authors argue for a critical reevaluation of the labor movement's interests and goals to effectively navigate the evolving international and hemispheric political economy increasingly shaped by Japanese lean production.

This edited volume brings together scholars to analyze the significant challenges confronting North American auto unions. The contributors focus on the disruptive influence of Japanese lean production models on established labor practices and the adaptive strategies employed by unions like the UAW and CAW. The work highlights the necessity for labor movements to fundamentally reassess their objectives and approaches in response to a shifting global economic landscape. The collection serves as a critical examination of the forces reshaping industrial relations in the automotive sector.