Life In The Rank And File

By Thomas J. Ford offers personal narratives from the Civil War, focusing on the experiences of the 24th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. Ford's account provides a unique and insightful perspective on this pivotal period in American history.

Much has changed for workers in the years since Staughton and Alice Lynd's classic Rank and File: Personal Histories by Working-Class Organizers was first published in 1973. The New Rank and File presents interviews with working-class organizers of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s who face the challenges of a new economy with the same determination and creativity shown by those profiled in the earlier book. Reflecting the increasing globalization of labor practices—and problems—The New Rank and File contains oral histories of workers in Guatemala, Palestine, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Canada, as well as the United States.In their narratives, rank-and-file workers from many different industries and workplaces reveal the specific incidents and pervasive injustices that triggered their activism. They discuss the frustrations they faced in attempting to effect change through traditional means, and the ways in which they have learned to advocate through innovation. In an incisive introduction, the Lynds set forth their distinctive perspective on the labor movement, with a focus on "solidarity unionism": making decisions on the assumption that we all may be leaders at one time or another rather than relying on static hierarchies. Their insights, along with true stories told in the organizers' own words, contain much to inspire a new generation of workers and activists.Jim BrophyTony BudakAndrea CarneyChinese Staff and Workers' AssociationCoalition of University EmployeesBill DiPietroKay EisenhowerRich FeldmanThe Frente Autentico del TrabajoMarshall GanzMia GiuntaMartin GlabermanMayra GuillenThe Hebron Union of Workers and General Service PersonnelHugo HernandezMargaret KeithElly LearyEd MannCharlie McCollesterVirginia RomanVicky StarrGary StevensonMike StoutManuela Aju TambrizJames TrevathanTriState Conference on SteelMauricio VallejosWorkers for Ford in Mexico

Often considered irredeemably conservative, the US working class actually has a rich history of revolt. Rebel Rank and File uncovers the hidden story of insurgency from below against employers and union bureaucrats in the late 1960s and 1970s. From the mid-1960s to 1981, rank-and-file workers in the United States engaged in a level of sustained militancy not seen since the Great Depression and World War II. Millions participated in one of the largest strike waves in US history. There were 5,716 stoppages in 1970 alone, involving more than 3 million workers. Contract rejections, collective insubordination, sabotage, organized slowdowns, and wildcat strikes were the order of the day. Workers targeted much of their activity at union leaders, forming caucuses to fight for more democratic and combative unions that would forcefully resist the mounting offensive from employers that appeared at the end of the postwar economic boom. It was a remarkable era in the history of US class struggle, one rich in lessons for today's labor movement.