Labor Rising: The Past and Future of Working People in America

In early 2011, when Wisconsin governor Scott Walker threatened the collective bargaining rights of the state's public sector employees, the huge protests that erupted in response briefly put the labor movement back on the nation's front pages. It was a fleeting reminder of a not-so-distant past when the "labor question"—and the power of organized labor—was part and parcel of a century-long struggle for justice and equality in America.

The fight for Wisconsin was a rare moment when the lessons of history, in seemingly short supply, were a vital handhold for the thousands of activists—and citizens everywhere—who sensed that something had gone terribly wrong. This pithy but accessible volume is an attempt to fill that gap, providing readers with an understanding of the history that is directly relevant to the economic and political crisis working people face today.

With original contributions from some our leading labor historians, social critics, and activists—including Barbara Ehrenreich, Nelson Lichtenstein, Bill Fletcher, Dana Frank, Alice Kessler-Harris, David Brody, Eileen Boris, and many others—Labor Painsmakes vital connections between the past and present, and then looks forward, asking how we might we imagine a different future for all Americans, not simply the wealthy and privileged.