Organized crime figures and their minions honeycombed unions while leadership instituted nepotism, salary padding, and other practices that undermined the well-being of the rank and file. But in New York City, groups of union members and their legal allies waged a years-long struggle against corruption and for better working conditions.
Jane LaTour combines rich oral histories with research to take readers into the construction sites, power plants, and Merchant Marine ships where the dramas played out. Dissidents risked their livelihoods for a variety of reasons, from practical concerns like job security and safety to larger ideas like union democracy. LaTour examines the factors that allowed unchecked corruption and kept unions from living up to their potential. But she also tells the eyewitness stories of solidary and worker spirit that fueled the fight to retake labor power.
A rare history of union corruption, Backroom Bargaining shines a light on worker campaigns to uphold fairness and equity in the workplace.
Reihe
Sprache
Verlagsort
Zielgruppe
Maße
Höhe: 229 mm
Breite: 152 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-252-04951-4 (9780252049514)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Jane LaTour (1946-2023) was a labor activist and writer. She is the author of Sisters in the Brotherhoods: Working Women Organizing for Equality in New York City.
Foreword by David Witwer
Prologue: Hubert Albertz: The Loneliness of the Union Reformer
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Union Democracy Movement and How It Grew
Section 1: The Painters
Chapter 2: The Rabbi, Part 1: Educate and Organize
Chapter 3: The Rabbi, Part 2: "Pie in the Sky?"
Chapter 4: The Paperhanger: "We Stood for Righteousness"
Chapter 5: The Taper, The Painters, and the Mob
Section 2: The Carpenters
Chapter 6: Against the Grain
Chapter 7: "For A Strong and Democratic Union"
Section 3: The Teamsters
Chapter 8: "Pulling the Tiger's Tail"
Chapter 9: "We're from the Government and We're Here to Help You"
Section 4: The Mariners
Chapter 10: Rebel Voices: The Fight for Free Speech in the Maritime Jungle
Chapter 11: Masters, Mates & Pilots: "In the Interests of the Union and Its Members"
Section 5: The Utility Workers
Chapter 12: The Right to Know: Utility Workers and the Fight for a Safe and Healthy Workplace
Chapter 13: Occupational Safety and Health: Outrageous Misconduct
