American Labor: A Documentary History: A Documentary Collection

Melvyn Dubofsky

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312295650 ISBN 13: 9780312295653

Publisher: AIAA, 2004

This comprehensive compilation of documents integrates institutional labor history (movements and trade unions) with aspects of social and cultural history. It charts changes in trade union and managerial practices and integrates the economics and politics of labor history. An impressive array of documents details household as well as industrial relations; women as domestic workers, unpaid household labor, and factory workers; African American, Hispanic American (especially Mexican and Mexican American), Asian and white workers. It offers readers insight into the full historical spectrum of workers, their daily lives, and the movements that they created.

Review:

'American Labor: A Documentary History is an outstanding collection of materials drawn from a wide variety of sources. Responsive to the themes of gender and ethnicity that have characterized much recent scholarship, this collection by two leading labor historians does not neglect more traditional themes of union organizing, collective bargaining, and government-labor relations. The editors' introductory commentaries provide clearly rendered context for the well-chosen selections that form the heart of this book. While American Labor: A Documentary History is sure to find wide use in classes, it also provides a rich trove of primary material for general readers, much of it in the form of poignant and moving personal testimony from workers of diverse backgrounds.' - Robert H. Zieger, Distinguished Professor of History, University of Florida

'At long last we now have a reliable, comprehensive, and accessible volume of documents on the history of American labor from two of the most respected labor historians in the academy. This volume actually does justice to the very diverse field that is labor history today: no small accomplishment!' - Eric Arnesen, University of Illinois at Chicago and author of Brotherhoods of Color: Black Railroad Workers and the Struggle for Equality
'A rich trove of primary material .. much of it in the form of poignant and moving personal testimony from workers of diverse backgrounds.' - Robert H Zieger, University of Florida, USA

Synopsis:

This single volume comprehensive compilation of documents integrates institutional labour history (movements and trade unions) with aspects of social and cultural history, as well as charting changes in trade union and managerial practices, and integrating the economics and politics of labour history. It includes documents that treat household relations as well as industrial relations women as domestic workers and unpaid household labour as well as factory workers and African American, Hispanic American (especially Mexican and Mexican American), and Asian workers as well as white workers. American Labor offer readers insight into the full spectrum historically of workers, their daily lives, and the movements that they created.