Abstract
This study examines conflicts over job classification and over the use of seniority (job-classification politics) in two work settings—a midwestern plant of an electronics company and the longshore industry of southern California. Two phenomena characterized job-classification politics in each setting—hoarding, that is, the erection of barriers around jobs, and fragmenting, that is, the erection of barriers between workers. These outcomes are attributed to an unusually strong demand for skilled workers and to worker resentment over violations of seniority. The results are interpreted from an organizational-politics perspective.