Professionalization and Unionism

Unionization and professionalization are two processes by which members of an occupation seek to achieve collective upward mobility. Such combined efforts at job advancement are the analogue, on a group scale, of individual striving for a better job-one with higher pay, pleasanter working conditions, more freedom from supervision, and higher community status. Where individual upward mobility is blocked or hindered, occupational incumbents often turn to collective efforts with the same generalized goals of increased earnings, autonomy, and prestige. In short, individuals unlikely to get better work tend to join with others similarly situated to make their work better. The particular upward mobility route chosen historically has varied with the nature of the tasks, along the manual/nonmanual dimension. Blue-collar workers have formed unions, while white-