AFSCME's Philadelphia Story

Francis Ryan teaches labor history at the Comey Institute of Industrial Relations at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia.

• Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Ward Politics and Municipal Labor in Philadelphia in the 1920s 2. The Founding of the Municipal Workers Union 3. Forging Municipal Unionism in Philadelphia, 1939-1945 4. The Challenge of Reform, 1946-1952 5. Working for America's City, 1952-1961 6. The New Militancy in Philadelphia 7. The Stout Era, 1970-1986 8. Philadelphia Municipal Workers in a Global Age Appendix: AFSCME Membership Notes Bibliography Index

"This is arguably the most enlightening study of a municipal union movement yet written. AFSCME'S Philadelphia Story should become required reading for anyone who seeks to understand the rise of public sector unionism in post-World War II America and its intersection with urban politics and the movement for racial equality. By bringing these subjects together in one narrative, this book makes an indispensable contribution to the literature of recent American labor history." -Joseph A. McCartin, Associate Professor of History, Georgetown University.