Bread & Roses – “Knocking on Labor’s Door: Union Organizing in the 1970s and the Origins of a New Economic Divideâ€
Date and Time
Sep 19, 2017 6:00 pm
Location
Takoma
235 Carroll St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20012
Sep 19, 2017 6:00 pm
Takoma
“Knocking on Labor’s Door: Union Organizing in the 1970s and the Origins of a New Economic Divideâ€
Knocking on Labor’s Door unearths an unseen wave of private-sector union organizing in the 1970s. Highlighting the integral, often-overlooked contributions of women, people of color, young workers, and Southerners, Lane Windham reveals how members of a reshaped U.S. working class combined fresh union organizing with legislative gains from the civil and women’s rights movements to help shore up their prospects. The book features close-up studies of workers’ campaigns in shipbuilding (Steelworkers union), textiles (clothing and textile union), retail (UFCW Local 400), and service (9to5 and SEIU District 925), Windham overturns widely held myths about labor’s decline, showing instead how employers united to manipulate weak labor law and quash a new wave of worker organizing. Full of stories of employees attempting to unionize against overwhelming opposition from bosses and corporations, Windham dramatically refashions the story of labor and politics during a crucial decade and remaps the recent history of the American workplace. Her story inspires both hope and indignation, and will overturn assumptions about today’s working class. Lane Windham is a fellow with Georgetown University’s Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor.
Bread & Roses is a monthly labor series that features a variety of events focused on workers and organized labor. Each month brings a new topic through interactive discussions, film screenings, and performances. The hope for these events is that attendees walk away with a greater understanding of organized labor, its role in shaping history and current relevance. The name "Bread & Roses" was inspired by a poem/song written by James Oppenheim that appeals for both fair wages and dignified conditions.
