Labor's Untold Story: The Adventure Story of the Battles, Betrayals and Victories of American Working Men and Women

by Richard O. Boyer and Herbert M. Morais

Book Overview

Fundamentally, labor's story is the story of the American people. To view it narrowly, to concentrate on the history of specific trade unions or on the careers of individuals and their rivalries,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0916180018
• Release Date: June 1979
• Publisher: United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of Amer
• Length: 399 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Indespensable History

With a smooth, fluid style the writers reveal the roots and fruit of labor struggle over a period of 100 years. Some may try to criticize this book as being written from a left wing perspective. However, that argument quickly loses any meaning when you consider that concepts like participatory democracy and human/labor rights are inherently liberal/left wing concepts. All of that aside this is a fascinating book that not only is brave enough to look at controversial figures, but balanced enough to also provide criticisms where they are due. Overall the most important aspect of this book is in returning proper perspective to understand the labor struggle in its rightful place as a radical, progressive, people's movement.

A Must for Union Activists

The right-wing reviewers who gave this book a one star, did not read this book. This is REAL history about working Americans and our struggles for economic justice. Just like today, (Enron, Worldcom should ring a bell) there were ruthless,greedy corporations who treated their employees like slaves. "Labor's Untold Story" is a must for union activists, anti-globalization protestors and other independent thinkers who want to get the true stories of labor's past battles.

History of the People

Authentic people's history to the core, Boyer and Morais' Labor's Untold Story covers all the gritty drama and history that shaped the world for working people throughout the United States. The exciting and neglected story of working people and their struggles for humane conditions and a living wage is vividly documented in this outstanding work. Any book that starts out with this gem of a Lincoln quote: "Outside the family, the strongest bond of human sympathy should be one uniting all working people of all nations, tongues and kindreds" is certain to be great. It does a fantastic job of documenting myriad instances of police violence towards striking and locked-out workers. Beginning with the historic Haymarket affair in Chicago where cops instigated a riot during a worker's demonstration and wound up jailing early heroes of the American labor movement who were eventually executed on trumped up charges; Labor's Untold Story goes on to explain the role of the International Workers of the World and Big Bill Haywood, all women and men worthy of emulation. Their struggle for simple free speech rights is told and the Wobblies and Eugene Debs are chronicled in vivid detail. Boyer and Morais put together a sensational description of the Great Depression explaining the causes such as over production combined with poor wages for the masses, and the everyday conditions for the working populace. Probably the finest chapter deals with the Flint Sit-Down strike of the 1930s. The impetus for the debilitating yet exhilarating strike being the speed-ups dictated by management which literally led to death for many workers as they slumped over the production lines in exhaustion. Another interesting fact pointed out in Labor's Untold Story is the National Association of Manufacturers admiration for Hitler. NAM, that reactionary group of rightwing business boyz, certainly did have some fascistic tendencies in common with Nazism according to Boyer and Morais. Lastly the rise of the more radical and worker friendly CIO is documented with a keen eye for detail and the Taft-Hartley Act, which essentially destroyed labor rights in the United States, is explained including the fact that it was virtually written by the business men who had been screaming like spoiled toddlers for its implementation since the Wagner Act. Labor's Untold Story is a welcome history book, one stocked full of fascinating stories that every American worker should have some familiarity with. It's the definitive account of what got American workers the modicum of working benefits many of them now take for granted. Much of this book should have been turned into a wonderful film years ago, but of course corporate owned studios generally stay as far away as possible from true labor history. That's not to discount the few independent studios that have put together fine films about some of these topics on shoestring budget. It should be noted that this book recently came out in a new edition, the co

Illusion-shattering and heartbreaking, worldview changing

The plans of John D. Rockefeller had more to do with the course of American Labor history than those of Samuel Gompers. This is the main premise of Labor's Untold Story, an economic history of America from Labor's viewpoint. Covering the years from 1860 to 1955, when it was published by the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers Union, it presents a fast-paced narrative, skillfully weaving stories in a highly readable and entertaining format. United Electrical was and is a progressive union, in the lead for workers rights. This union has suffered for its advocacy of the worker. It still exists and has a membership of about 35,000 workers in occupations ranging from highway toll-takers to graduate student assistants. Labor's actions have been determined, in the long view of history, not so much by the actions of Labor leaders but Labor's adversaries. Boyer and Morais maintain that Labor has reacted to employers rather than the opposite. Division and destruction of Labor occurred primarily through actions of employers and the government. Multitudes of people have sacrificed their livelihoods, families, and even their lives to further the cause of Labor, with mixed and halting progress. Labor's Untold Story tells us that Business' exploitation of employees causes depression and other economic upheaval, and makes a convincing case. As a beginning example the "Molly McGuires" of the Pennsylvania coal mining region will do nicely. For starters, historians agree that no group called the Molly McGuires existed in that area in 1873. This was fabricated for publicity purposes by the mine owner, Franklin B. Gowen. He originally recognized the union in the belief that a strike would help to create a coal shortage and push up the price. He used the Molly McGuire myth, along with $100,000, to persuade Pinkertons to come in and help infiltrate this alleged secret organization that was plotting such harm to mineowners. When Gowen cut the miners' wages below the contract level, they struck. The miners and their families were starved, hunted, ambushed and some killed by a vigilante group sponsored by the president of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad. After six months of hunger and bloodshed they went back to work, defeated. The union was destroyed, and those who had led the strike were blacklisted (not allowed to work in the coal mining industry). Six Irishmen and the men they led in the Ancient Order of the Hibernians were determined to rebuild the union and restore miners' wages. Gowen decided that no action was unjustified in getting rid of these troublemakers. He paid two informants who swore that the Irishmen had freely confessed to many murders in their presence. The first trial featured Gowen, the mine owner, as the special prosecutor. The man who actually committed the crime with which these Irishmen were charged testified against them and won his freedom. Nineteen men were con

Learn a great deal about labor by reading this book.

This book tells more about the people and the struggles of labor than most labor histories. The authors shed light on the subtle and not so subtle differences between te different unions. This book is well documented and footnoted. It describes business and government attempts to destroy labor with thoroughly documented sources. The book also shows how some labor leaders sold out the movement. This is a must read book for anyone who wants to know more about labor history