U.S. Labor Movement in the 20th and Early 21st Century

Adam Barrington is a labor activist and community organizer who lives in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He is a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and a delegate for Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 1199. He served as a labor organizer for Local 4041 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) in Reno, Nevada, USA.  He received his Master’s degree in Sociology at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he conducted research on the history of the U.S. labor movement.  He plans to pursue future doctoral studies in sociology focused on the contemporary labor movement in the United States.

• 1 Introduction.- References.- 2 What Happened to the U.S. Labor Movement?.- After WWII.- Labor and Politics.- Exclusive Representation and Systemic Restraints.- Solidarity and Direct Action.- Violence Against Labor.- The Cold War and Institutionalization.- References.- 3 The Early U.S. Labor Movement.- Beginning.- A House Divided.- World War and Class War.- The Rise of the CIO: Organizing the Unorganized.- One Industrial Union Grand.- No More Reds in the Union.- Red Unionism: An Autopsy.- U.S. Labor and Anticommunism.- The Graveyard of Social Movements.- References.- 4 The U.S. Labor Movement Since 1955.- Labor and the Democrats: A Parasitic Relationship.- The AFL-CIO and the CIA.- Worker Militancy After 1955.- Reckoning with the Past and Organizing in the Present.- References.- 5 Filling the Void: The Reactionary Response to Neoliberalism and Its Crises.- Pseudo-Populism: Exploiting Discontent.- Ethno-Nationalism: Identity Politics of the Right.- Authoritarianism/Fascism.- The Need for a New Labor Movement.- References.- 6 Rebuilding the Labor Movement and Prospects for the Future.- Putting Workers Back at the Helm.- What Will a New Labor Movement Look Like?.- New Labor, New Politics.- References.- 7 Conclusion: A World to Win.- Bibliography.