"The purpose of this book is to investigate whether trade unions in Japan are different from those in Europe and North America, and - if they are - to establish how and why they are different. The authors examine whether trade unions in Japan contribute to raising productivity and enhancing company performance, Western unions are often regarded as harmful to excellent company performance. Enterprise unionism is discussed in the context of this positive aspect of trade unions.". "The authors examine the kind of employees who join unions; the kind of firms in which unions are organized; the principal reasons for the declining trend in the unionization rate; and it asks if there are differences in wage and satisfaction levels and other economic variables between unionized and non-union firms."--BOOK JACKET.