State of the Unions: How Labor Can Strengthen the Middle Class, Improve Our Economy, and Regain Political Influence (Hardcover)

by Philip Dine (Author)
Key Phrases: catfish workers, caucus night, labor coverage, Delta Pride, New York, Kentucky River (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

From steel workers, Teamsters, and coal miners to teachers, actors, and civil servants, union members once accounted for more than one third of the American workforce. At a mere 12 percent, union membership today is a shadow of what it once was. What happened to organized labor in America and what can be done to restore it to its role of the defender of middle-class values and economic well-being?

Award-winning investigative reporter Philip M. Dine takes us on a riveting journey through America's cities and back roads, its factories and union halls, to answer those questions. From the health care crisis to massive job flight overseas, from rampant home foreclosures to illegal immigration, he clearly shows how virtually every major economic, political, and social trend impacting our way of life is tied to the state of America's unions.

Combining a compelling narrative with expert analysis, Dine offers firsthand accounts of the union members striving to make their voices heard in a political landscape increasingly shaped by corporate interests, including how:

• The women of Delta Pride-a major player in the multi-billion dollar catfish industry-went up against generations of racial and economic prejudice
• Iowa's firefighters union flexed its collective muscle to score a major political victory in the 2004 caucus
• The American Federation of Teachers and the AFL-CIO played a key role in bringing down the Iron Curtain
• The Teamsters enlisted community support to temporarily stop a move by Mr. Coffee to relocate to Mexico and saved nearly 400 manufacturing jobs in the Cleveland area

A reporter who has covered labor for two decades, Dine not only details where labor has gone wrong, but he also offers sage advice on how it can adapt to a global economy to recover the ground it lost over the last quarter century.

From the Back Cover

PRAISE FOR STATE OF THE UNIONS

“Phil Dine tells a compelling tale-and he writes beautifully-of the decline, fall, and potential rebirth of a powerful labor movement in the U.S.”-Mike Wallace, CBS News

“State of the Unions is an excellent, inspiring, and very readable analysis of the current struggles and past triumphs of the American labor movement. Longtime respected labor reporter Phil Dine makes a compelling case that a much stronger labor movement in the years ahead is indispensable for restoring fairness for working families and reducing the widening income gap that is threatening the American dream for so many millions of our families.”-Senator Edward M. Kennedy

“State of the Unions provides a penetrating look at what's happened to American workers-and how labor unions have failed them. It's an important book on a subject that gets far too little attention.”-Michael Isikoff, author of Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War

“Phil Dine presents a compelling case for the critical role unions play in preserving the dignity of workers and the American way of life. State of the Unions is a must read for anyone concerned about the future of our country.”-John J. Flynn, President, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers

“State of the Unions-with its keen observations and thoughtful conclusions-could be a primer for labor leaders and labor reporters. Except it's so well-written and entertaining that it beckons anyone who works for a living to bring it to the beach.”-Linda Foley, President, Newspaper Guild-CWA, Vice President, Communications Workers of America

“The facts are uncontestable. The conclusions often controversial. The challenges historic. Phil Dine offers a compelling and provocative look at labor's role in the political, social and economic marketplace.”-The Honorable Tom Ridge

“The author enters areas few media professionals have ever even visited...in this astonishing new book.”-Bernard DeLury, Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service under President George H.W. Bush

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 276 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (August 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071488448
• ISBN-13: 978-0071488440
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #357,670 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking, heart wrenching, and galvanizing -- you've got to read this book!, September 10, 2007

By	Anonymous - See all my reviews

It's no surprise that author Philip Dine was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and has received numerous journalism awards; as Mike Wallace says on the front cover, "Phil Dine tells a compelling tale -- and he writes beautifully..." The veteran news correspondent couldn't be more correct.

State of the Unions is a deeply reported, beautfully written narrative that captures the struggles and the triumphs of labor unions all around the US who have taken a stand to fight for their future.

Through the author's storytelling, readers will become emotionally invested in those who have struggled to keep the labor movement afloat, and understand why the union's fight is everyone's fight -- why an organized movement that ultimately uses its credibility, resources, and insights on work, community, and economic fairness issues will impact an entire population.

This is a thoroughly inspiring read that is sure to spark a national debate. I couldn't recommend it more highly.

5.0 out of 5 stars Understandable and Persuasive Introduction to Labor, May 23, 2009

By	Andrew Vanover (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I really didn't know anything about unions before reading this book. Now I know at least enough to see their strengths and weaknesses.

The first half covers three detailed cases involving Iowa firefighters, Mississippi catfish workers, and the 2004 presidential race in Ohio. The second half recaps the challenges unions face and the opportunities before them.

Dine makes his point that organized labor, if it is willing to adapt, can step up and represent "the voices of people who are being drowned out" in the U.S.A. today. It's a nice read that avoids both technical analysis and anecdotal evidence.

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable thoughts toward a better future for "Main Street" Americans, December 20, 2008

By	Barton Veret "Barry Veret" (Chevy Chase, MD) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Dine has written a superb book, looking at a landscape of America that has far too much vanished from the sight of most Americans in recent decades. With the economic turmoil that has arisen since the book was written, the themes that Dine set forth with great insight and specificity should return front and center. True, there are difficult issues to be faced on the labor front just as on every other front. But it is time we as a country began to face squarely the imbalances which have far too much favored the wealthy and powerful. Dine's anaysis and examples are a valuable contribution toward that effort.