Confessions of a Union Buster [Hardcover]

Marty Jay Levitt (Author), Terry Conrow (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 24, 1993

A former union buster exposes the dirty tricks that elevated him to the top of his profession and that have transformed the war on organized labor into a billion-dollars-per-year industry. This book is the story of a man who has decided to come in out of the cold, to clear his conscience, and to share the hard lessons he has learned. Line drawings.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With compelling vigor and rich detail, Levitt, writing with freelancer Conrow, tells the tale of his rise to union-busting fame from 1969-1988 and his equally dramatic change of heart. Now a consultant advising unions on how to bust the union busters, Levitt says that he is baring his sins both for personal reasons and so that former colleagues will have nothing further with which to discredit him. He portrays himself and his fellow union busters as cynical and contemptuous of workers who try to organize. Using manipulation and propaganda, the busters wear down the union organizers. Levitt's union busters are repulsively slick, preying on the fears and purses of the companies that hire them. The details of Levitt's descent into alcoholism seem prosaic compared to the descriptions of the many union avoidance campaigns he masterminded, even if it was 12-step remorse and humility that provided the motivation for this confessional. His bold story is timely, given current national efforts to reform labor laws.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Levitt writes this autobiographical account of a "union buster" from the perspective of one who now sees that his career was destructive to management, employees, and businesses in general. Levitt began his career in 1969 at the age of 25 with a position as a labor management consultant. By 1987, when he decided he could no longer continue his career, he had orchestrated over 200 antiunion campaigns. Today Levitt speaks to unions to inform them of the tactics he and other management consultants use against labor. Mixed in with his story of union busting are Levitt's problems with alcohol, money, and his marriage. This book is of interest as a first-person account of someone involved in labor conflict and should be considered for large public and academic libraries with labor history collections.
- Linda McEwan, Elgin Community Coll. , Ill.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Crown Publishers; 1st edition (August 24, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517583305
• ISBN-13: 978-0517583302
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #558,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He brought the phantom into clearer view. Thank you!, August 18, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Pikeville, Ky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Confessions of a Union Buster (Hardcover)

We have been going through a very nasty union compain at Pikeville Methodist Hospital, Pikeville, Ky. I felt as though I was fighting a ghost or something. Now I know just who we are fighting and what they will do to stop us from getting a fair contract. This book brought tears to my eyes. Everything in this book is happening right now here in Pikeville. Employees are turning against each other, security guards are all around, we are now behind fences, and some are just plain beaten down. At least now, with this book, I know we are not the only people to go through this. I would love for Mr. Levitt to come here and speak. I know he could help. I have been trying to get everyone to read this book.I am ever so glad I did. I only wish I had read it sooner. We have been in negotiations for over a year and now they have gotten a decert vote pending for the RN's. Keep us all in your prayers. This book was the best source of information I have ever found. Again, Thank you Mr. Levitt for getting out of that nasty business. At least there is 1 less to deal with.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read for all Employees and Organizers, March 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Confessions of a Union Buster (Hardcover)

Sun Tzu wrote "know yourself and your enemy, and you need not fear a hundred battles"...Accepting this advice is vital to the success of any organizer's undertaking! In this era of corporate culture, where 80's greed has merely cloaked itself in feel-good advertising while waging war against its employees, the robber barons at the top will do anything to maintain their power.

In that "war", the worker is not only expendable, but is seen an an enemy to be made an example of--crushed and discarded in front of co-workers! It is in every worker's best interest to read this book --even if you are not in a union, or a unionizing effort. Taking charge of your rights as an employee does not mean you are a militant communist--but that is what they would like you to think!

READ THIS BOOK! Know the ploys of those who hold the power--for they definitely make it their business to know OUR fears.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb! Should be read by everyone who works for a living., December 9, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Confessions of a Union Buster (Hardcover)

An incredible revelation of what goes on behind the scenes to destroy worker rights. A great read that cannot be put down once started. Compelling, provocative, and riveting. I have never read a better book!