American Workers, American Unions: The Twentieth Century (The American Moment) [Paperback]

Robert H. Zieger (Author), Gilbert J. Gall (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 080187078X | ISBN-13: 978-0801870781 | Publication Date: December 11, 2002 | Edition: 3rd

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book is one of the best concise surveys of American labor history.

(Thomas A. Castillo Enterprise and Society 2004)

Review

What this little book does, and does engagingly and perceptively, is to analyze the cyclical fortunes of organized labor... Eminently successful.

(Peter J. Coleman History )

An excellent supplementary text for undergraduate courses in industrial relations and labor economics.

(Harry P. Cohany Monthly Labor Review )

A helping of sober truth about the American labor movement and its politics... Zieger is fair and objective, and writes in a style that can be read with pleasure and understanding by both academics and truck drivers.

(John C. Cort New Oxford Review )

A balanced, intelligent introduction to the historic themes of modern American labor relations.

(John Hennen Labor Studies Journal )

We can thank Zieger for giving us a strong and often moving account of what he calls the most important period in American working-class history.

(Richard Boyden Journal of American History )

Zieger provides a broad overview of organized labor since 1920. His book, virtually the only available survey that includes the years after World War II, is highly readable and surprisingly concise.

(Darryl Holter Journal of Social History )

There is much to recommend American Workers, American Unions. It is a valuable, comprehensive, and peerless survey of modern American labor history. Zieger deftly parses such complex subjects as the origin and role of the National Labor Relations Board, the expulsion of the so-called communist-dominated unions from the CIO, and the evolution of the 'workplace rule of law.' The book also is, if not the only, then certainly the best treatment of the post-1950 decades.

(Nancy F. Gabin Labor History )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press; 3rd edition (December 11, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080187078X
• ISBN-13: 978-0801870781
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #863,875 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good overview of union's role in the 20th Century, February 7, 2009

By 

J. Polsgrove "Southwestdeadhead" (Baja Arizona) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: American Workers, American Unions: The Twentieth Century (The American Moment) (Paperback)

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...)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Favorite One-Volume History, May 3, 2007

By 

Donald P. Taylor (Madison, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Workers, American Unions: The Twentieth Century (The American Moment) (Paperback)

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).

3 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Boooooo, December 20, 2009

By 

eluzai "John" (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Workers, American Unions: The Twentieth Century (The American Moment) (Paperback)

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.