Labor in the New Urban Battlegrounds

Introducing the role of urban social context in the field of labor revitalization, this book features global case studies in which strong coalitions have enabled new union influence as well as those in which such coalition building has been thwarted.

Lowell Turner is Professor of International and Comparative Labor, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University. He is the author of Democracy at Work and Fighting for Partnership and coeditor of Rekindling the Movement: Labor's Search for Relevance in the 21st Century, all from Cornell. Daniel B. Cornfield is Professor of Sociology at Vanderbilt University and editor of Work and Occupations. He is the author of Becoming a Mighty Voice: Conflict and Change in the United Furniture Workers of America and editor or coeditor of several books, including Labor Revitalization: Global Perspectives and New Initiatives. Peter Evans is Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of Embedded Autonomy, editor of Livable Cities?, and coeditor of Bringing the State Back In.

Labor in the New Urban Battlegrounds is a richly detailed book that produces important insights into what unions need to consider as they weigh their options, identify allies, and attempt to build social justice infrastructures capable of research and mobilization. The case studies of 'union towns' and 'frontier towns' are especially fascinating and express the importance of urban context and history in concrete terms.... It should be of great interest to labor scholars as well as scholars of community organizing in the U.S. context.

Charles J. Whalen:

After two decades of neglect, cities are once again a hot topic among labor scholars. Labor in the New Urban Battlegrounds is a major contribution to community-centered studies of labor and industrial relations. The book help account for the current focus on metropolitan areas, examines the recent emergence of urban-based social unionism, and presents a framework of analysis that offers guidance to both scholars and practitioners. This book deserves the attention of all who are interested in the prospects of labor movement revitalization.

Bruce Raynor, General President, UNITE HERE!:

As multinational corporations dominate more aspects of our daily lives, it is critical that we develop global strategies for solving local problems. This important new book does just that. By comparing local union organizing campaigns from around the world, this talented group of labor researchers makes a unique contribution to our understanding of the global labor movement.