A History of America in Ten Strikes
Erik Loomis
(Author)
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Description
Recommended by The Nation, the New Republic, Current Affairs, Bustle, In These Times An "entertaining, tough-minded, and strenuously argued" (The Nation) account of ten moments when workers fought to change the balance of power in America
"A brilliantly recounted American history through the prism of major labor struggles, with critically important lessons for those who seek a better future for working people and the world." -Noam Chomsky
Powerful and accessible, A History of America in Ten Strikes challenges all of our contemporary assumptions around labor, unions, and American workers. In this brilliant book, labor historian Erik Loomis recounts ten critical workers' strikes in American labor history that everyone needs to know about (and then provides an annotated list of the 150 most important moments in American labor history in the appendix). From the Lowell Mill Girls strike in the 1830s to Justice for Janitors in 1990, these labor uprisings do not just reflect the times in which they occurred, but speak directly to the present moment.
For example, we often think that Lincoln ended slavery by proclaiming the slaves emancipated, but Loomis shows that they freed themselves during the Civil War by simply withdrawing their labor. He shows how the hopes and aspirations of a generation were made into demands at a GM plant in Lordstown in 1972. And he takes us to the forests of the Pacific Northwest in the early nineteenth century where the radical organizers known as the Wobblies made their biggest inroads against the power of bosses. But there were also moments when the movement was crushed by corporations and the government; Loomis helps us understand the present perilous condition of American workers and draws lessons from both the victories and defeats of the past.
In crystalline narratives, labor historian Erik Loomis lifts the curtain on workers' struggles, giving us a fresh perspective on American history from the boots up.
Strikes include:
Lowell Mill Girls Strike (Massachusetts, 1830-40)
Slaves on Strike (The Confederacy, 1861-65)
The Eight-Hour Day Strikes (Chicago, 1886)
The Anthracite Strike (Pennsylvania, 1902)
The Bread and Roses Strike (Massachusetts, 1912)
The Flint Sit-Down Strike (Michigan, 1937)
The Oakland General Strike (California, 1946)
Lordstown (Ohio, 1972)
Air Traffic Controllers (1981)
Justice for Janitors (Los Angeles, 1990)
Product Details
| Publisher | New Press |
| Publish Date | September 01, 2020 |
| Pages | 320 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Paperback / softback |
| EAN/UPC | 9781620976272 |
| Dimensions | 8.4 X 5.4 X 0.9 inches | 0.8 pounds |
About the Author
Reviews
--The New Republic
"A timely book. . . . We have to use these strikes to shore up the very power to strike. Only that will ensure strikes aren't relegated to the history books."
--In These Times
"Loomis, a labor historian, offers clear narratives about the 10 strikes of the title, emphasizing the pivotal role of women in the labor movement. . . He also doesn't flinch when describing the less savory sides of the American labor movement."
--Publishers Weekly
"[A History of America in Ten Strikes] provides an edifying look at the abuse of power in America that. . . is evocative of Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States."
--Booklist
"Each chapter of this well-told saga could stand on its own. . . . Loomis delivers a jargon-free, clearly written history."
--Kirkus Review (starred review)
"A brilliantly recounted American history through the prism of major labor struggles, with critically important lessons for those who seek a better future for working people and the world."
--Noam Chomsky
Praise for A History of America in Ten Strikes: "Loomis refuses to romanticize this period or the labor movement it produced. . . . What Loomis's book perhaps does best is remind us that the promise of the labor movement, despite its many failures and compromises, has always been to make everyday life more democratic."
-The New Republic
"A timely book. . . . We have to use these strikes to shore up the very power to strike. Only that will ensure strikes aren't relegated to the history books."
-In These Times
"Loomis, a labor historian, offers clear narratives about the 10 strikes of the title, emphasizing the pivotal role of women in the labor movement. . . He also doesn't flinch when describing the less savory sides of the American labor movement."
-Publishers Weekly
"[A History of America in Ten Strikes] provides an edifying look at the abuse of power in America that. . . is evocative of Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States."
-Booklist
"Each chapter of this well-told saga could stand on its own. . . . Loomis delivers a jargon-free, clearly written history."
-Kirkus Review (starred review)
"A brilliantly recounted American history through the prism of major labor struggles, with critically important lessons for those who seek a better future for working people and the world."
-Noam Chomsky
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