If We Can Win Here

The New Front Lines of the Labor Movement

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, Labour & Industrial Relations, History, Americas, United States, Business & Finance
Cover of the book If We Can Win Here by Fran Quigley, Cornell University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Fran Quigley ISBN: 9780801456138
Publisher: Cornell University Press Publication: May 21, 2015
Imprint: ILR Press Language: English
Author: Fran Quigley
ISBN: 9780801456138
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Publication: May 21, 2015
Imprint: ILR Press
Language: English

Do service-sector workers represent the future of the U.S. labor movement? Mid-twentieth-century union activism transformed manufacturing jobs from backbreaking, low-wage work into careers that allowed workers to buy homes and send their kids to college. Some union activists insist that there is no reason why service-sector workers cannot follow that same path. In If We Can Win Here, Fran Quigley tells the stories of janitors, fry cooks, and health care aides trying to fight their way to middle-class incomes in Indianapolis. He also chronicles the struggles of the union organizers with whom the workers have made common cause.

The service-sector workers of Indianapolis mirror the city’s demographics: they are white, African American, and Latino. In contrast, the union organizers are mostly white and younger than the workers they help rally. Quigley chronicles these allies’ setbacks, victories, bonds, and conflicts while placing their journey in the broader context of the global economy and labor history. As one Indiana-based organizer says of the struggle being waged in a state that has earned a reputation as antiunion: "If we can win here, we can win anywhere." The outcome of the battle of Indianapolis may foretell the fate of workers across the United States.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Do service-sector workers represent the future of the U.S. labor movement? Mid-twentieth-century union activism transformed manufacturing jobs from backbreaking, low-wage work into careers that allowed workers to buy homes and send their kids to college. Some union activists insist that there is no reason why service-sector workers cannot follow that same path. In If We Can Win Here, Fran Quigley tells the stories of janitors, fry cooks, and health care aides trying to fight their way to middle-class incomes in Indianapolis. He also chronicles the struggles of the union organizers with whom the workers have made common cause.

The service-sector workers of Indianapolis mirror the city’s demographics: they are white, African American, and Latino. In contrast, the union organizers are mostly white and younger than the workers they help rally. Quigley chronicles these allies’ setbacks, victories, bonds, and conflicts while placing their journey in the broader context of the global economy and labor history. As one Indiana-based organizer says of the struggle being waged in a state that has earned a reputation as antiunion: "If we can win here, we can win anywhere." The outcome of the battle of Indianapolis may foretell the fate of workers across the United States.

More books from Cornell University Press

Cover of the book Ninigret, Sachem of the Niantics and Narragansetts by Fran Quigley
Cover of the book Objects of War by Fran Quigley
Cover of the book The Remnants of War by Fran Quigley
Cover of the book Desperate Magic by Fran Quigley
Cover of the book Food Policy for Developing Countries by Fran Quigley
Cover of the book Legal Tender by Fran Quigley
Cover of the book A Minor Apocalypse by Fran Quigley
Cover of the book Songs of the Factory by Fran Quigley
Cover of the book Where Three Worlds Met by Fran Quigley
Cover of the book Svay by Fran Quigley
Cover of the book Clara Schumann by Fran Quigley
Cover of the book How Russia Really Works by Fran Quigley
Cover of the book Recapturing the Oval Office by Fran Quigley
Cover of the book Between Two Motherlands by Fran Quigley
Cover of the book Knowing Dickens by Fran Quigley
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy