How can we change things in an age in which governments are fixated on the 
bottom line and conventional protest rallies have lost their punch?
Can the political opportunities presented by a new minority government be harnessed by community-based movements for real social impact and change? In Power in Coalition, Amanda Tattersall argues that political opportunities are a critical ingredient in the success of community-based coalitions.
Coalitions can be important tools for social change and union revitalisation. What makes them successful? What causes them to fail? Community organiser Amanda Tattersall has written the first internationally comparative book to examine successful coalitions between
unions and community organisations in three countries. It documents the stories of the public education coalition in Sydney, Toronto’s Ontario Health Coalition fighting to save
universal health care, and Chicago’s living wage campaign run by the Grassroots Collaborative. She explores when and how coalitions can be a powerful strategy for social change, organisational development and union renewal.
Power in Coalition is essential reading for unionists, community activists, and anyone passionate about social change.
‘A fascinating insight into the potential for coalitions to restore the balance of power between governments and the communities they are supposed to serve.’ – Julian Burnside AO QC
‘Amanda Tattersall shows that coalitions, though hard work at times, are the best means we have to rebalance power, beat poverty and injustice, and build a future that includes all of
us, especially the weakest.’ – Tim Costello AO, CEO, World Vision Australia
‘If unions are to maximise their influence in the 21st century they must build alliances with other organisations around economic, social and ecological concerns affecting humanity. This book shows it is possible to build the necessary coalitions to achieve this end.’ – Jack Mundey AO, instigator of the 1970s Green Bans movement in Sydney
Amanda will tour Australia from 17-29 September 2010. She is available for interview.
Please visit http://powerincoalition.com/category/newsroom/launches/ for a full list of public events
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amanda Tattersall is Deputy Assistant Secretary of Unions NSW and founder and Director of the Sydney Alliance. She is also co-founder and chair of GetUp and an Honorary Associate in Work and Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney.
PUBLISHED: September 2010
IMPRINT: Allen & Unwin
CATEGORY: Politics
ISBN: 9781742374567
RRP: AUD $35.00
CONTACT: Tiffany Rae ph (02) 8425 0149, email tiffanyr@allenandunwin.com
Please contact Tiffany Rae for review copies, extracts and interviews.
More praise for Power in Coalition
‘Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how to build the power of working people in a changing world, Amanda Tattersall’s book is at once timely, practical, inspiring
and challenging. Combining analysis of action with useful theory, it provides an important new tool for activists everywhere—in unions or beyond them—who want to build sustained
and sustaining coalitions that have the potential to change the world.’ – Professor Barbara Pocock, Director, Centre for Work + Life, University of South Australia
‘At last a scholar/activist who understands that coalitions are not merely a way of advancing union goals! Building on three successful coalitions in Australia, Canada, and the United
States, Amanda Tattersall identifies three main mechanisms that lead to successful coalition formation between unions and community organizations: identifying common concerns,
building organizational relationships, and finding the right scale. She shows how unions can transcend the narrow corporatism of ‘business unionism’ to return to the social movements they once were in a world that has become more complex and more indifferent to the needs of both workers and communities.’ – Professor Sidney Tarrow, Cornell University
