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American Workers, American Unions: The Twentieth Century (The American Moment) |  | Authors: Robert H. Zieger, Gilbert J. Gall
Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.00
Buy Used: $5.00
as of 9/7/2010 14:20 MDT details
You Save: $19.00 (79%)
New (15) Used (25) from $5.00
Seller: Cadabella
Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 51224
Media: Paperback
Edition: 3rd
Pages: 312
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 6 x 0.9
ISBN: 080187078X
Dewey Decimal Number: 331.880973
EAN: 9780801870781
ASIN: 080187078X
Publication Date: December 11, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Highly acclaimed and widely read, American Workers, American Unions (first published in 1986, revised ed. 1994) provides a concise and compelling history of American workers and their unions in twentieth-century America. This new edition features new chapters on the pre-1920 period, as well as an entirely new final chapter that covers developments of the 1980s and 1990s in detail. There the authors explore how economic change, union stagnation, and antilabor policies have combined to erode workers' standards and labor's influence in the political arena over the last two decades. They review current "alternatives to unionism" as means of achieving fair workplace representations but insist that strong unions remain essential in a democratic society. They argue that labor's new responsiveness to the concerns of women, minority groups, and low-wage workers, as well as its resurgent political activism, offer new hope for trade unionism. Also included in this third edition is new bibliographical material and a regularly updated on-line link to an extended bibliographical essay.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Favorite One-Volume History May 4, 2007
Donald P. Taylor (Madison, Wisconsin)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is by far my favorite single-volume book of labor history. It's a well-researched, balanced survey of the 20th century, scholarly yet highly readable. I have assigned it as initial reading in graduate-level labor relations courses to lay a historical foundation, and students have given postive feedback on the book (mirroring my comments above).
A very good overview of union's role in the 20th Century February 7, 2009
J. Polsgrove (Baja Arizona)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
I got this book because I live in a state (Arizona) that is very conservative and anti-union, and I've become a strong supporter of the Employee Free Choice Act, which has been introduced in the last three Congresses. It made it through the House in the 110th Congress, but died due to a Republican filibuster. Even if it had passed the Senate, Bush had said he would not sign it. So, hopefully now that Barack Obama is President, the 111th Congress will get this to his desk, as he's promised to sign it. The Act will make it much simpler for folks in states like Arizona to organize and unionize.
OK, that's background. While reading up about the Employee Free Choice Act, I realized there were large gaps in my knowledge of unions in the past 100 years. This is a book used in many colleges and it got great reviews elsewhere, so I ordered a used copy from an amazon merchant.
I'm very impressed with the book so far. It clearly helps the reader transition from the 19th Century to the 20th Century, and provides a solid, comprehensive history of union activity (and oppostion to them) in the last 100 years. I am well-educated, but what impresses me is that this book is easily readable and does not get bogged down in obscure details that make so many history books such a chore to get through.
I got the third edition of the book, which has a updated final chapter that closes out the 20th Century and looks at the challenges unions face in the 21st Century. I haven't got that far, yet, but the book is so informative and intelligent (without getting bogged down in obscure details or tangents) that I am sure I will read it all.
I've already learned a lot, and in an anti-union state like Arizona, the more you know, the more power you have. Understanding where unions were right, and where they went wrong in the past century, helps me get a better feel for what I face when I work to unionize my workplace once the Employee Free Choice Act becomes a reality.
Highly recommended, even if you aren't an academic or a student. (I'm a social worker, for the record...)
 Boooooo December 21, 2009
A. Biddle (Ohio)
2 out of 8 found this review helpful
I thought I would get a bit more insight into unions, but this has such a pro-union slant on it that it sickens me. I work in a union that gives us no choice but to pay and they call it "fair" share. What is so fair about forcing people to pay? Anyways there isnt a book out there that I have found that gives an unbiased view of the unions, or even an unbiased history of labor unions in america. If you really like unions then you should get this book and reinforce your false hope in these communist organizations. If you truly understand the damage that unions have caused and are looking for an actual good book that details the truth, in an unbiased fashion, of labor unions then look elsewhere.
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