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Hard-Pressed in the Heartland: The Hormel Strike and the Future of the Labor Movement Paperback – July 1, 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars 5

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this brief book, Rachleff ( Black Labor in Richmond, 1865-1890 ), who chaired a committee supporting the 1985-1986 strike against the Hormel Co. in Austin, Minn., offers a partial corrective to Barbara Koppel's narrow account of the strike in her Academy Award-winning documentary American Dream. Rachleff begins with an analysis of labor's weakness in the 1980s and an overview of the history of the Austin union's militant predecessor of the 1930s. His history of the Hormel plant emphasizes the conflict not only over wages but also over dangerous working conditions. He explains how Hormel influenced numerous community institutions, including the local mental health clinic, newspaper and even schools, against the strikers. Even though the union's parent eventually settled the strike on Hormel's terms, Rachleff argues that the union campaign was successful in building organizing skills and a movement culture. He concludes with a somewhat scattershot analysis of how strategies used in the Hormel strike represent new tactics that might revitalize labor. His book might have been more effective had he more closely analyzed and rebutted Koppel's film.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

While Rachleff's book deals with the same subject as the award-winning documentary film American Dream , the two works take very different approaches to the highly emotional and divisive meatpackers' local P-9 strike against Hormel in Austin, Minnesota. Rachleff, a founder of a striker's support group in the mid-1980s, accuses the makers of American Dream of misrepresenting strikers. The book presents some historical information on local labor efforts preceding the Hormel strike, but its value as history is weakened by a lack of footnotes or other references. The bibliography mainly consists of works reflecting the author's political perspective. In his final chapter, Rachleff preaches his remedy for labor's ills, though again without adequate documentation. While this book may help explain the views of the P-9 faction in Austin, it does not offer a full analysis of the event's significance for recent labor history. More balanced histories of the events are Hardy Green's On Strike at Hormel ( LJ 5/1/90) or Dave Hage and Paul Klauda's No Retreat, No Surrender ( LJ 5/1/89).
- Charles K. Piehl, Mankato State Univ., Minn.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ South End Press; First Edition (July 1, 1999)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0896084507
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0896084506
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1280L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.4 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.4 x 0.4 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 out of 5 stars 5

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Peter J. Rachleff
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