Coalitions within national union movements have been an enduring means by which unions pursue shared interests and policy ambitions. Drawing on social movement theory, we focus on the logics shaping union coalitions, and the conditions under which they differ, in order to gain analytical purchase on enduring debates about union behaviour in industrial relations. Taking the German case, we identify four key policy issues that have caused major divisions and competing coalitional activity between unions in the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) over the period 1964 to 2018. Our analysis suggests that there is a degree of fluidity between instrumental and ideological logics, which relates to the evolving socio-political contexts that shape the dynamics of union coalitions over time. In the German context, our findings indicate that the relative importance of the logics shaping coalition activity varies with the nature of the threats unions encounter. In the face of more specific and immediate threats, coalitional decision-making was more likely to be driven by instrumental logic, prioritizing the narrower concerns of the union and its core members. However, where unions’ broader social visions came under threat, self-interest played a more modest role, and choices were more likely to be animated by ideological concerns and questions of public good.

中文翻译：

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分裂我们站立？德意志联盟运动中的联盟动力

全国工会运动中的联盟一直是工会追求共同利益和政策抱负的持久手段。借鉴社会运动理论，我们关注塑造工会联盟的逻辑，以及它们不同的条件，以便对关于劳资关系中工会行为的持久辩论进行分析购买。以德国为例，我们确定了 1964 年至 2018 年期间导致德国工会联合会 (DGB) 工会之间出现重大分歧和竞争性联盟活动的四个关键政策问题。我们的分析表明，工具之间存在一定程度的流动性。意识形态逻辑，这与不断发展的社会政治背景有关，这些社会政治背景随着时间的推移塑造了工会联盟的动态。在德国的背景下，我们的调查结果表明，塑造联盟活动的逻辑的相对重要性随工会遇到的威胁的性质而异。面对更具体和直接的威胁，联盟决策更有可能由工具逻辑驱动，优先考虑联盟及其核心成员的狭隘关切。然而，在工会更广泛的社会愿景受到威胁的情况下，自身利益发挥了更温和的作用，选择更有可能受到意识形态关注和公共利益问题的推动。优先考虑工会及其核心成员的狭隘问题。然而，在工会更广泛的社会愿景受到威胁的情况下，自身利益发挥了更温和的作用，选择更有可能受到意识形态关注和公共利益问题的推动。优先考虑工会及其核心成员的狭隘问题。然而，在工会更广泛的社会愿景受到威胁的情况下，自身利益发挥了更温和的作用，选择更有可能受到意识形态关注和公共利益问题的推动。