Blue-Collar Empire: The Untold Story of US Labor's Global Anticommunist Crusade

How the CIA used American unions to undermine workers at home and subvert democracy abroad Blue-Collar Empire tells the shocking story of the AFL-CIO’s global anticommunist crusade—and its devastating consequences for workers around the world. Unions have the power not only to secure pay raises and employee benefits but to bring economies to a screeching halt and overthrow governments. Recognizing this, in the late twentieth century, the US government sought to control labor movements abroad as part of the Cold War contest for worldwide supremacy. In this work, Washington found an enthusiastic partner in the AFL-CIO’s anticommunist officials, who, in a shocking betrayal, for decades expended their energies to block revolutionary ideologies and militant class consciousness from taking hold in the workers’ movements of Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The untold history of how the CIA used American unions to undermine working-class militancy at home and abroad during the Cold War There is power in a union. Not only the power to secure pay raises and employee benefits but also the power to bring economies to a screeching halt and overthrow governments. Recognizing this, in the late twentieth century, the US government sought to control labor movements abroad as part of the Cold War contest for worldwide supremacy. To subvert overseas unions, Washington found an enthusiastic partner in the AFL-CIOs anticommunist officials, who for decades expended incredible energy trying to block revolutionary ideologies and militant class consciousness from taking hold in the workers movements of Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Blue-Collar Empire tells the sweeping story of the AFL-CIOs global anticommunist crusadeand the devastating consequences for workers at home and abroad. The untold history of how the CIA used American unions to undermine working class militancy at home and abroad during the Cold War There is power in a union. Not only the power to secure pay raises and employee benefits, but the power to bring economies to a screeching halt and overthrow governments. Recognizing this, in the late twentieth century, the US government sought to control labor movements abroad as part of the Cold War contest for worldwide supremacy.To subvert overseas unions, Washington found an enthusiastic partner in the AFL-CIOs anticommunist officials, who for decades expended incredible energy trying to block revolutionary ideologies and militant class consciousness from taking hold in the workers movements of Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia.Blue-Collar Empire tells the sweeping story of the AFL-CIOs global anticommunist crusadeand the devastating consequences for workers at home and abroad. Abbreviations Introduction Part I FREE TRADE UNIONISM: 1945–1960 1 The Free Trade Union Committee 2 Good Neighbors 3 A Larger Pie 4 Joining the CIA 5 Inter-Americanism 6 Merger Part II FREE LABOR DEVELOPMENT: 1960–1973 7 Comradely Brainwashing 8 Intervenors 9 Mama Maida 10 Vietnam 11 Exposed Part III FREE MARKET REVOLUTION: 1973–1995 12 Crisis 13 New Blood 14 Endowing Democracy 15 Civil War 16 Hollow Victory Conclusion Acknowledgements Notes Index