|
|
| New books cover labor & religion, Decatur strugglesBooks reviewed by Mike MatejkaJustified by Work Identity & the Meaning of Faith in Chicago’s Working Class Churches By Robert Bruno Ohio State University Press ISBN 13 978 0-8142-5134-8 
Is religion for Sunday only? Does religion have anything to do with work? How do religious values shape people’s everyday lives and experiences? The University of Illinois’ Labor Education Program’s director, Bob Bruno, explores these topics in his latest volume, Justified by Work. In this multi-faceted book, Bruno interviews dozens of working class Chicagoans, probing their religious beliefs and their impact on daily choices, perspectives and work attitudes. Many religious bodies have made statements supporting worker rights and unionization. Bruno shares these institutional viewpoints, but then interviews workers to test their resonance. Some workers interviewed are union activists, some simply are doing their job daily. Christians, Muslims and Jews are all represented in this book. For them, is religion purely a private experience, or an ethical and moral framework that shapes attitudes and choices? Is there a religious value that one should carry to work every day? Is religion simply escapism from daily problems? How does one religion help shape attitudes toward economic downturns, illness and financial problems? Bruno explores all those questions, letting a variety of workers from different faiths and perspectives share their story. At the same time, he shares his own journey, as a working class child who grew up beneath the twin shadows of the steel mill smokestack and the Catholic Church’s steeple. Americans are a very religious people. Few individuals have probed those beliefs and how they intersect with daily working life. This cross-section of Chicago includes some fascinating stories and perspective, as the everyday world of work melds with religious experience. Staley: The Fight for a New American Labor Movement By Steven Ashby and C.J. Hawkings University of Illinois Press 
In the 1990s Decatur, Illinois became a focal point of labor industrial struggles. Two national employers, Firestone and Caterpillar, were on strike. And preceding and following that strike, the much smaller group of workers at A.E. Staley were locked out. During their lock-out, the Staley workers tried innovative tactics and attempted to make their struggle a national campaign. They were members of a small union, the Allied Industrial Workers, which merged with the United Paperworkers during the lock-out. Enlisting outside consultants, the more militant Staley workers became “road warriors,” speaking to union gatherings across the nation and directly challenging the AFL-CIO leadership. Eventually, worn down by the lock-out, a return to work was negotiated with Staley, accepting many conditions the workers originally protested. Just as thousands were impacted by this lock-out, there are numerous viewpoints on this struggle. When the workers returned to the plant, some supporters claimed that “defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory.” Charges were made that the national union never truly embraced or supported the more militant workers and their supporters. Others saw Staley as another sad concessionary event in a too-long chain of labor losses. Staley is very sympathetically written from the viewpoint of the most aggressive union members and their cadre of supporters. Both authors were active Chicago supporters of the Decatur effort and state their sympathies clearly. This is valuable book for the questions it engenders; What is the role of consultants in union struggles? In an international economy, how do workers present their case to a foreign-owned corporation? Should other workers risk their jobs and livelihood to support another union’s struggle? How does a mostly Caucasian workforce reach out to minority and other communities and gain sympathy, particularly when the minority workforce might have felt shut-out from the workplace and union? The more militant Staley workers and their “hired guns,” justifiably or unjustifiably, endured much criticism during the lock-out. Raising the book’s questions in Decatur or in some union offices will probably provoke a heated debate. Yet it’s a healthy debate on the labor movement’s future and tactics well worth discussing. Why Unions Matter By Michael D. Yates Monthly Review Press ISBN 9-781583671900 
In 1998 Michael Yates wrote a very comprehensive but tight book, Why Unions Matter. It is now out in a second, revised edition, adding history and unfolding challenges from the last ten years of labor’s efforts. If one is looking for a single book that can give a quick and comprehensive overview of the current state of the U.S. labor movement, its history and development, this is the volume. There are updated case studies here that tell and analyze some recent labor efforts, both in organizing and politics, that are very useful lessons. |