The American Labor Movement

Description

By Paul F. Taylor
ABC-CLIO

The history of organized workers, whether they have toiled in the noisy textile factories, dank coal mines, dusty produce fields, blisteringly hot steel mills, crowded classrooms, or along miles of railroad track…this is the scope of The ABC-CLIO Companion to The American Labor Movement. Addressing the sweep of time from the antebellum years to the present, the entries cover people, events, organizations, and court cases that have influenced the organization of American labor. The book also pinpoints major issues confronted by workers, such as children in the workplace, the eight-hour working day, job safety, economic independence from company towns and company stores, and the minimum wage. Biographical sketches identify the individuals – both well known and obscure – whose particular struggles and achievements combine to weave the historical tapestry of Americans at work.

The book’s A-to-Z entries are carefully cross-referenced to direct the reader to related topics; access to the entries is further enhanced by an end-of-book subject index. A separate section contains a concise chronology of events, and a bibliography points to sources for additional reading. Several black-and-white photographs bring people and places to life as only illustrations can.

A well-organized volume that examines the full vista of the topic, The ABC-CLIO Companion to the American Labor Movement will be a boon to anyone investigating the diverse field of organized labor.