Migrants, third union dilemma and organizational responses to migrants’ incorporation within union structures. The case study of an Italian trade union

The present article aims to understand how the third union dilemma in an organizational dimension ties itself with diversity management taking place in the union and how migrant working in the union engage with diversity management. An important literature strand focusing on the relationship between unions and migrants explores possible responses of unions to face the emergence of new social subjects (Holgate, 2011; Savage, 2006; Milkman, 2000; Osterman, 2006). Within this literature strand the organizing strategies of migrant workers are generally taken as an opportunity for the revitalization of unions (Milkman, 2011; Fitzgerald and Hardy, 2010). In addition to this recent literature focusing on organizing strategies, it is also possible to identify another literature strand focused on longrunning changes of the relationship between trade unions and migrants. A pioneering work in this direction is the one from Castles and Kosack (1973) in the early ’70s. In a very different historical context, Penninx and Roosblad (2000) identify three union dilemmas affecting relationship between trade unions and migrants. The first dilemma forces the unions to choose whether to adopt an attitude of migration contrast or to be a part of the migration policy-making. The second dilemma comes when migrants are already integrated into the labor market: unions have to choose whether organizing and recruiting migrants or excluding them. The third dilemma arises in case migrants’ recruitment by the unions takes place. Unions cope with the choice whether to represent the common interests of its membership base as a whole or, rather, to represent distinct interests of migrant workers. Since the 70s of last century, along with socioeconomic and political changes that have affected Western European countries (and not only), there has been a deep transformation of migration processes and migration policies. In the last 40 years trade unions, both in old and in new immigration countries, have tended to take a stand more and more open to migration and recruitment of migrants. All this leads several scholars to consider overcome at least the first two of the three dilemmas identified: migrants actually have arrived and have entered into trade unions. This doesn’t mean that the unionization of migrants does not have critical dimensions, but it is evident that in the recent past the relationship between unions and migrants has been structured.