Paul J. Kubicek. Organized Labor in Postcommunist States: From Solidarity to Infirmity. Pittsburgh, Pa.: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2004. xiv + 256 pp. ISBN 0-8229-5856-2, $29.95 (paper).

Labor unions in formerly communist societies have gone, in justfifteen years, from being large and sometimes very powerfulorganizations—think of Poland’s Solidarity—tobeing much smaller and weaker organizations. In discussing thisweakness, Paul Kubicek notes the irony that workers in communistsocieties "were able to organize to help overthrow a systemthat purportedly ruled in their name. However, they are poorlypoised to do battle against governments and policies that makelittle pretense to serve their interests"