The hot house and the politics of production: Piecework Bargaining in retrospect

Brown's studies of piecework bargaining are reviewed in light of later research and changing conditions. Some extensions are needed, for example, in relation to the definition of custom and practice. And some neglected themes, notably the role of gender in workplace bargaining, need attention. But the analytical framework is essentially robust. Its theoretical pay‐off is elaborated, and arguments that industrial relations lacks an adequate theory of pay are disputed. Its current relevance is illustrated in relation to the explosion of pay at the top of the earnings distribution.