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Articles 1 - 5 of 5
Full-Text Articles in Labor History
The Life And Times Of Jimmy Hoffa, Chris Wright
The Life And Times Of Jimmy Hoffa, Chris Wright
Class, Race and Corporate Power
In light of Martin Scorsese's popular movie "The Irishman," it is a good time to reassess Jimmy Hoffa. He's probably the most famous union leader in American history, but the only thing most people know of him is that he ran the Teamsters and was closely connected to the Mafia. He is often seen as nothing but a corrupt, evil, greedy sellout. The reality is a little different. In this article I discuss his record as a labor leader, the attacks on him by the McClellan Committee and Bobby Kennedy, and his ties to organized crime. I try to contextualize …
Black And White Notes: Segregation, Integration, And Urban Renewal Through Pittsburgh's Locals 60 And 471, Nathan Seeley
Black And White Notes: Segregation, Integration, And Urban Renewal Through Pittsburgh's Locals 60 And 471, Nathan Seeley
FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation explores Pittsburgh’s Locals 60, 471, and 60-471 of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) from the late nineteenth century to the mid-1960s. Local 60 was founded in 1896 for white musicians and Local 471 in 1908 for black musicians. While other studies of the AFM take a “top-down” approach, this study examines these Locals from the “bottom-up.” In doing so, it re-examines the causal relationship between music/musicians and the social, political, and economic conditions intersecting with them. This dissertation is built upon seventy-two interviews conducted between former Local 471 members in the 1990s, photographs from Teenie Harris Collection …
The Epic Failure Of Labor Leadership In The United States, 1980-2017 And Continuing, Kim Scipes
The Epic Failure Of Labor Leadership In The United States, 1980-2017 And Continuing, Kim Scipes
Class, Race and Corporate Power
The organizational failure of labor leadership in the US is more than individual failures, which could perhaps be overcome by the election of new leaders. The author argues that the model of trade unionism that has dominated US unionism—business unionism—offers no viable way forward and must be replaced by another model— social justice unionism.
John L. Lewis And His Critics: Some Forgotten Labor History That Still Matters Today, Staughton Lynd
John L. Lewis And His Critics: Some Forgotten Labor History That Still Matters Today, Staughton Lynd
Class, Race and Corporate Power
The purpose of this essay is to propose a new answer to the question of "what happened to the Congress of Industrial Organizations?" Lynd argues the CIO became what its creator, United Mine Workers (UMW) president John L. Lewis, intended it to be. This approach is juxtaposed with the approach taken by A.J. Muste, who helped to lead the cotton textile strike of 1919 to victory, then founded the Brookwood Labor School—probably the most radical and effective school for workers in American history.
Time To Tackle The Whole Squid: Confronting White Supremacy To Build Shared Bargaining Power, Erica Smiley
Time To Tackle The Whole Squid: Confronting White Supremacy To Build Shared Bargaining Power, Erica Smiley
Class, Race and Corporate Power
The operators of global capital, who have representatives in both US political parties, use a system of white supremacy and structural racism to keep working people disorganized and isolated from each other so that they do not collectively (and successfully) disrupt their ability to continue to concentrate resources among a tiny, select few. And thus in order to truly confront global capitalism and reverse the dramatic trends of inequality in the US and elsewhere, the struggle against white supremacy must be a central element of any strategy to build working class power.