Spotlight On: The History of Labor in AmericaLike this list

47 items

• The Disney Revolt

  the Great Labor War of Animation's Golden Age

  Friedman, Jake S.,

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  Been keeping an eye on the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike? This isn't the first time creators have pushed back against Hollywood, and where creative unions have drawn the line has historically set the tone for labor relations nation-wide for years…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• No Right to An Honest Living

  the Struggles of Boston's Black Workers in the Civil War Era

  Jones, Jacqueline, 1948-

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  Antebellum Boston is famously the vocal heart of American abolitionism, but while much of the politics focused on anti-slavery rhetoric, conditions for free Black workers in the city at the time were far from ideal. "No Right to an Honest…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Black Folk

  the Roots of the Black Working Class

  Kelley, Blair Murphy, 1973-

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  Much of the conversation about the history of American labor centers on the white working class - to the point of excluding or even erasing the experiences and contributions of Black workers. "Black Folk" reframes the narrative of American…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Never Ask "why"

  Football Players' Fight for Freedom in the NFL

  Garvey, Ed, 1940-2017,

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  If the word "union" immediately makes you think "factory worker," give "Never Ask 'Why'" a read. The NFL Players Association may not quite fit the stereotypical image of a union, but the fight for player rights starting in the 1950s…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Essential

  How the Pandemic Transformed the Long Fight for Worker Justice

  McCallum, Jamie K., 1977-

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  If the surge of labor unrest during COVID-19 seemed to come out of nowhere, give "Essential" a read. It's a great breakdown of how the current pushback for worker rights has been a long time coming, and how the pandemic only exacerbated…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Midnight in Vehicle City

  General Motors, Flint, and the Strike That Created the Middle Class

  McClelland, Edward

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  A gripping deep dive into the Flint sit-down strike of 1936-37, which birthed the United Auto Workers and set the standards for wages across all industries for the next half century. The story of how the push for collective bargaining,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Working 9 to 5

  a Women's Movement, a Labor Union, and the Iconic Movie

  Cassedy, Ellen,

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  You've probably heard of the movie "9 to 5" - but did you know it was based on a real labor movement in Boston? Ellen Cassedy and her colleagues started a nationwide movement, fighting to make sexual harassment and pregnancy discrimination…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Coal Country Killing

  a Culture, a Union, and the Murders That Changed It All

  Tanenbaum, Robert,

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  The compelling true story of the prosecutor who spent nearly a decade uncovering the truth behind the 1969 assassination of United Mineworkers of America “reform candidate” Jock Yablonski and his family. A deep dive into the darker side…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Team Building

  a Memoir About Family and the Fight for Workers' Rights

  Gwin, Ben,

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  Don't let the title and cover drive you off this one - though at a glance it looks like a corporate self-help title, "Team Building" is a memoir from Ben Gwin, who helped contract workers at Google's Pittsburgh offices unionize. Part…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A History of America in Ten Strikes

  Loomis, Erik

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  Don't believe workers have the power to create change? Erik Loomis explores ten times throughout American history where laborers fought back against unfair treatment and not only won, but altered the nature of power in America. Available…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Strike!

  How the Furniture Workers Strike of 1911 Changed Grand Rapids

  Kleiman, Jeff

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  Want to learn about the history of labor in Grand Rapids? "Strike!" looks back on the city as a factory town at the start of the 20th century, and explores how our roots as Furniture City weren't always peaceful. Focuses on the city-wide…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Worked Over

  How Round-the-clock Work Is Killing the American Dream

  McCallum, Jamie K., 1977-

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  Feel overworked and underpaid? You're probably right. Labor movements slimmed down working hours for a century, but they've been steeply on the rise since the 70s. And not just in oft-acknowledge corporate American overtime. Low-wage…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Beaten Down, Worked Up

  the Past, Present, and Future of American Labor

  Greenhouse, Steven,

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  They say that those who don't remember the past are condemned to repeat it. In "Beaten Down, Worked Up," Steven Greenhouse explores how our current socioeconomic climate in America has happened before - and how changes in workers rights…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Hard Times

  An Oral History of the Great Depression

  Terkel, Studs

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  A portrait of the Great Depression compiled from the memories of those who survived it - children and adults, artists and politicians - all woven together to create a brilliant firsthand account of the realities of some of the hardest…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Fight Like Hell

  The Untold History of American Labor

  Kelly, Kim

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  An exploration of the contributions and successes of American labor activists that are often elided from the history books - including women, people of color, LGBTQ+, disabled people, sex workers, prisoners, and the poor. Combining…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Underworld

  a Novel

  Canty, Kevin,

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  Fiction. Inspired by a devastating fire in a remote mining town in the 1970s, "The Underworld" is a fictionalized portrait of the survivors of disaster in a small company town, and how dangerous labor conditions impact the entire community.

• Work Won't Love You Back [GRPL Book Club]

  How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone

  Jaffe, Sarah, 1980-

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  Many of us have grown up on the narrative that if you "do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life." Sarah Jaffe's "Work Won't Love You Back" examines how this pervasive idea has created a toxic working culture in America - how…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Neon Girls

  a Stripper's Education in Protest and Power

  Worley, Jennifer,

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  Sex work is work - and work that comes with a unique and often extreme set of workplace hazards. "Neon Girls" is the true story of how the dancers at the Lusty Lady Theater in San Francisco unionized and fought for fair pay, safe working…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Black and White

  Land, Labor, and Politics in the South

  Fortune, Timothy Thomas, 1856-1928,

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  Originally published in *1884*, "Black and White" is an astute examination of post-Reconstruction America written by a Black man who lived through it. This updated edition includes a new forward and introduction, but the original…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Jungle

  Sinclair, Upton, 1878-1968

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  Fiction, technically. Upton Sinclair's famed exposé of the American meat packing industry, written in 1905 after working undercover in Chicago. A title that sparked a revolution in both workplace safety and food safety, and a good reminder…Read moreRead more of this annotation