"Based on groundbreaking research on the working conditions of airport check-in workers in two countries, a previously unstudied category of predominantly women workers, Ellen Rosskam describes a form of work characterized as modern-day Taylorism. An occupation greatly affected by new forms of work organization and management practices — caught in the throes of rapid change due to international competition, alliances, mergers, and the application of cost-efficiency strategies — check-in work has been undermined in recent years by the adverse effects of liberalization and technological change. Excess Baggage makes a convincing case for taking a holistic approach to viewing jobs, considering them as “entire work systems” and not merely as a series of individual factors. Rosskam makes an eloquent plea for involving workers in organizational decision-making and a convincing case for using the collective voice as a critical key for improving working conditions. "

Support: Paper