Grassroots’ Unionism in Grenoble: Four Firms

Abstract

The Alpine city of Grenoble, situated in a plain at the confluence of the Isère and Drac rivers and surrounded by three mountain chains, is a rich site for the study of local unionism for two principal reasons. First, Grenoble has a modern, dynamic economy, with numerous firms in high-technology industries such as electronics and nuclear engineering. During the 1960s, a period of brisk expansion, Grenoble’s metropolitan population increased by over 25 per cent, from 253 000 to 317 000. This growth has been facilitated by close ties between local industry and the University of Grenoble, which has fostered industrial research and new styles of management.¹ Grenoble may be said, then, to presage certain aspects of French economic development, hence the French economy of the future.² At the same time, Grenoble has numerous older industries, dating from the early part of this century. Thus Grenoble possesses a full, diversified economy within a context manageable from a local-level perspective.