In May 1937, seventy thousand workers walked off their jobs at four large steel companies known collectively as “Little Steel.” The strikers sought to make the companies retreat from decades of antiunion repression, abide by the newly enacted federal labor law, and recognize their union. For two months a grinding struggle unfolded, punctuated by bloody clashes in which police, company agents, and National Guardsmen ruthlessly beat and shot unionists. At least sixteen died and hundreds more were injured before the strike ended in failure. The violence and brutality of the Little Steel Strike became legendary. In many ways it was the last great strike in modern America.
Traditionally the Little Steel Strike has been understood as a modest setback for steel workers, one that actually confirmed the potency of New Deal reforms and did little to impede the progress of the labor movement. However, The Last Great Strike tells a different story about the conflict and its significance for unions and labor rights. More than any other strike, it laid bare the contradictions of the industrial labor movement, the resilience of corporate power, and the limits of New Deal liberalism at a crucial time in American history.
By:
Ahmed White
Imprint: University of California Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 30mm
Weight: 680g
ISBN: 9780520285606
ISBN 10: 0520285603
Pages: 416
Publication Date: 04 January 2016
Audience:
College/higher education
,
A / AS level
,
Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Acknowledgments Introduction: Labor, Little Steel, and the New Deal PART I The Open Shop 1 * Like a Penitentiary: Steel and the Origins of the Open Shop 2 * They Should Honor Us: Work and Conflict in the Open Shop Era 3 * Sure, We Have Guns: The Open Shop in the Depression Era 4 * I Never Gave That Guy Nothin': The New Deal and the Changing Landscape of Labor Relations 5 * To Banish Fear: The Campaign to Organize Steel PART II The Strike 6 * The Spirit of Unrest: From Stalemate to Walkout 7 * In the Name of the People: The Incident on Memorial Day 8 * What Had to Be Done: The Struggle at the Mill Gates 9 * A Change of Heart: Corporate Power and New Deal Strikebreaking 10 * Let's Bust Them Up: Last Struggles and Defeat PART III The Aftermath 11 * A Steel Strike Is Not a Picnic: The Anatomy of Failure 12 * Kind of a Victory: New Deal Labor Law on Trial 13 * Unreconciled: War, Victory, and the Legacies of Defeat Conclusion: These Things That Mean So Much to Us Appendix Abbreviations Notes Bibliographic Note Index
Ahmed White is a Professor of Law at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Reviews for The Last Great Strike: Little Steel, the CIO, and the Struggle for Labor Rights in New Deal America
In much the same way as those who appreciate various branches of the arts, scholars are also on a never ending search for excellence; something that lifts the spirits. Ahmed White has accomplished this in The Last Great Strike... The extent of his research is breathtaking... He combines a breadth of minute detail with a clear eye for broader implications. Labour History Ahmed White's The Last Great Strike is a fascinating analysis of an often overlooked labor struggle in the New Deal era. International Socialist Review The Last Great Strike is a strong piece of scholarship, rich with archival discoveries. Compelling and accessible ... an important contribution to our understanding of U.S. labor history, union organizing, and class conflict. Monthly Review
