Solidarity Divided : The Crisis in Organized Labor and a New Path Toward Social Justice

The U.S. trade union movement finds itself today on a global battlefield filled with landmines and littered with the bodies of various social movements and struggles. Candid, incisive, and accessible, __Solidarity Divided__ is a critical examination of labor's current crisis and a plan for a bold new way forward into the twenty-first century. Bill Fletcher and Fernando Gapasin, two longtime union insiders whose experiences as activists of color grant them a unique vantage on the problems now facing U.S. labor, offer a remarkable mix of vivid history and probing analysis. They chart changes in U.S. manufacturing, examine the onslaught of globalization, consider the influence of the environment on labor, and provide the first broad analysis of the fallout from the 2000 and 2004 elections on the U.S. labor movement. Ultimately calling for a wide-ranging reexamination of the ideological and structural underpinnings of today's labor movement, this is essential reading for understanding how the battle for social justice can be fought and won. Contents Preface: Revelations in South Africa Introduction: Change to Win and the Split in the AFL-CIO Part One. Challenges Facing The U.S. Labor Movement 1. Dukin’ It Out: Building the Labor Movement 2. The New Deal 3. The Cold War on Labor 4. The Civil Rights Movements, the Left, and Labor Part Two. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised 5. Whose Welfare Matters, Anyway? 6. What’s Left for Us? 7. Organizing to Organize the Unorganized Part Three. Sweeney’s Grand Gesture 8. The New Voice Coalition Takes Office 9. Developing Strategy in Times of Change 10. Globalization: The Biggest Strategic Challenge 11. Could’a, Would’a, Should’a: Central Labor Councils and Missed Opportunities 12. International Affairs, Globalization, and 9/11 Part Four. When Silence Isn’t Golden 13. Restlessness in the Ranks 14. Change to Win: A Return to Gompers? 15. Anger, Compromise, and the Paralysis of the Sweeney Coalition 16. Left Behind Part Five. The Way Forward: Social Justice Unionism 17. The Need For Social Justice Unionism 18. The Need For A Global Outlook 19. Realizing Social Justice Unionism: Strategies For Transformation Appendix A. A Process For Addressing The Future Of U.S. Organized Labor Appendix B. Using Race, Class, And Gender Analysis To Transform Local Unions: A Case Study Notes Bibliography Acknowledgments Index About The Authors The U.S. trade union movement finds itself today on a global battlefield filled with landmines and littered with the bodies of various social movements and struggles. Candid, incisive, and accessible, Solidarity Divided is a critical examination of labor's current crisis and a plan for a bold new way forward into the twenty-first century. Bill Fletcher and Fernando Gapasin, two longtime union insiders whose experiences as activists of color grant them a unique vantage on the problems now facing U.S. labor, offer a remarkable mix of vivid history and probing analysis. They chart changes in U.S. manufacturing, examine the onslaught of globalization, consider the influence of the environment on labor, and provide the first broad analysis of the fallout from the 2000 and 2004 elections on the U.S. labor movement. Ultimately calling for a wide-ranging reexamination of the ideological and structural underpinnings of today's labor movement, this is essential reading for understanding how the battle for social justice can be fought and won.