Author: Christopher H. Johnson Publisher: Wayne State University Press ISBN: 0814340040 Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 403
Book Description
Christopher Johnson chronicles the life of Maurice Sugar, from his roots in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, through his resistance with Eugene V Debs to World War I, and on to the struggles of the early 1930s to bring the union message to Detroit. It was Maurice Sugar, labor activist and lawyer for the United Auto Workers, who played a key role in guiding the newly-formed union through the treacherous legal terrain obstructing its development in the 1930s. He orchestrated the injunction hearings on the Dodge Main strike and defended the legality of the sit-down tactic. As the UAW's General Council, he wrote the union's constitution in 1939, a model of democratic thinking. Sugar worked with George Addes, UAW Secretary-Treasurer, to nurture rank-and-file power. A founder of the National Lawyers' Guild, Sugar also served as a member of Detroit's Common Council at the head of a UAW "labor" ticket. By 1947, Sugar was embroiled in a struggle within the UAW that he feared would destroy the open structures he had helped to build. He found himself in opposition to Walter Reuther's bid to run the union. A long-time socialist, Sugar fell victim to mounting Cold War hysteria. When Reuther assumed control of the UAW, Sugar was summarily dismissed. Christopher Johnson chronicles the life of Maurice Sugar, from his roots in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, through his resistance with Eugene V. Debs to World War I, and on to the struggles of the early 1930s to bring the union message to Detroit. Firmly grounded on the historiography of the UAW, Johnson shows the importance of Sugar and the Left in laying the foundation for unionizing the auto industry in the pre-UAW days. He documents the work of the Left in building a Black-labor coalition in Detroit, the importance of anti-Communism in Reuther's rise to power, and the diminution of union democracy in the UAW brought about by the Cold War. Maurice Sugar represents a force in American life that bears recalling in these barren years of plant closings.
Author: Lauren Comito Publisher: American Library Association ISBN: 083891134X Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 83
Book Description
Libraries, like other service providers, have been the victim of increasing budget cuts in the wake of the 2008 economic crisis. Yet usage is up and continues to grow. This brief book is intended as a primer to get you going on creating an advocacy program in your community.
Author: Milton Tambor Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc. ISBN: 1649528469 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 134
Book Description
Milt was instrumental in founding DSA's Atlanta chapter in 2006 and rooting it in the workplace and community struggles of poor and working class Atlantans, whether through anti-forclosure, anti-gentrification, or workplace struggles, using tactics from public education, to electoral organizing, to direct action. In his memoir, Milt details how the chapter's work contributed to the building of a vibrant progressive movement in Atlanta. -Maria Svart, national director, Democratic Socialists of America Milt understands that defending voting rights and fighting voter suppression are today's major civil rights challenges. In his memoir, immersing himself in social movements beginning the 60s, Milt documents the accounts of a legendary freedom fighter and what it may take to build a truly democratic society. -Helen Butler, executive director, Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda I am so excited that Milt has finally written a memoir about his activist life, as we need to bridge the generational divide between activists now more than ever so that new generations can be supported to organize successful movements for justice. Milt has been a direct activist mentor for me-encouraging and validating me to envision, cofound, develop, and maintain an organization, AROMA, that works to support and mentor new activists so that we can pass the torch in the sacred tradition of unsung social justice heroism. Milt is not only dedicated, responsible, and gracious; he is also warm, loving, and generous with his attention. I am so honored to call him my friend and comrade and sing his praises. His memoir will be inspiring and informing to new activists for generations to come. -Misty Novich, founder, Activists Recruiting, Organizing, and Mentoring in Atlanta When I first met Milt, I was struck by how serious he was about building power, building organization, and winning for everyday people. At the time, the campaign he was working on was fighting bank foreclosures in Atlanta, and he wanted to make sure that Jobs with Justice would be involved. Milt agreed to reactivate the Atlanta JwJ chapter, because he understood the importance of working people leading their own battles at work and in their neighborhoods. Milt Tambor may never fully understand how much his leadership has fed my resilience and the resolve of so many other activists. That, indeed, is what makes him such a great organizer. -Erica Smiley, national director, Jobs with Justice This book was a joy to read. Milt lived social unionism fighting for workplace rights, community rights, and international rights! -Bob King, American lawyer and labor union activist and leader
Author: Dennis Deslippe Publisher: JHU Press ISBN: 1421403587 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 297
Book Description
In the process of balancing ideals of race and gender equality with competing notions of colorblindness and meritocracy, they even borrowed the language of the civil rights era to make far-reaching claims about equality, justice, and citizenship in their anti-affirmative action rhetoric. Deslippe traces this conflict through compelling case studies of real people and real jobs. He asks what the introduction of affirmative action meant to the careers and livelihoods of Seattle steelworkers, New York asbestos handlers, St. Louis firemen, Detroit policemen, City University of New York academics, and admissions councilors at the University of Washington Law School. Through their experiences, Deslippe examines the diverse reactions to affirmative action, concluding that workers had legitimate grievances against its hiring and promotion practices.
Author: Jean-Christian Vinel Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press ISBN: 0812209230 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 302
Book Description
A political, legal, intellectual, and social history of employment in America In the present age of temp work, telecommuting, and outsourcing, millions of workers in the United States find themselves excluded from the category of "employee"—a crucial distinction that would otherwise permit unionization and collective bargaining. Tracing the history of the term since its entry into the public lexicon in the nineteenth century, Jean-Christian Vinel demonstrates that the legal definition of "employee" has always been politically contested and deeply affected by competing claims on the part of business and labor. Unique in the Western world, American labor law is premised on the notion that "no man can serve two masters"—workers owe loyalty to their employer, which in many cases is incompatible with union membership. The Employee: A Political History historicizes this American exception to international standards of rights and liberties at work, revealing a little known part of the business struggle against the New Deal. Early on, progressives and liberals developed a labor regime that, intending to restore amicable relations between employer and employee, sought to include as many workers as possible in the latter category. But in the 1940s this language of social harmony met with increasing resistance from businessmen, who pressed their interests in Congress and the federal courts, pushing for an ever-narrower definition of "employee" that excluded groups such as foremen, supervisors, and knowledge workers. A cultural and political history of American business and law, The Employee sheds historical light on contemporary struggles for economic democracy and political power in the workplace.
Author: Lane Windham Publisher: UNC Press Books ISBN: 146963208X Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 311
Book Description
The power of unions in workers' lives and in the American political system has declined dramatically since the 1970s. In recent years, many have argued that the crisis took root when unions stopped reaching out to workers and workers turned away from unions. But here Lane Windham tells a different story. Highlighting the integral, often-overlooked contributions of women, people of color, young workers, and southerners, Windham reveals how in the 1970s workers combined old working-class tools--like unions and labor law--with legislative gains from the civil and women's rights movements to help shore up their prospects. Through close-up studies of workers' campaigns in shipbuilding, textiles, retail, and service, Windham overturns widely held myths about labor's decline, showing instead how employers united to manipulate weak labor law and quash a new wave of worker organizing. Recounting how employees attempted to unionize against overwhelming odds, Knocking on Labor's Door dramatically refashions the narrative of working-class struggle during a crucial decade and shakes up current debates about labor's future. Windham's story inspires both hope and indignation, and will become a must-read in labor, civil rights, and women's history.
Author: Christopher H. Johnson
Author: Jonathan Cutler
Author: Philip Parker Mason
Author: Lauren Comito
Author: Milton Tambor
Author: 
Author: Dennis Deslippe
Author: Jean-Christian Vinel
Author: Irving Abella
Author: Lane Windham