Book on American Labor Movement

[thriller]

Looking for a good book on the American Labor movement. Any recommendations? Need a book for a term paper for my American History class 1865-Present.

[Brosa Luxemburg]

There Is Power in a Union by Philip Dray (http://www.amazon.com/There-Power-Union-Story-America/dp/0307389766/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348155185&sr=1-1&keywords=there+is+power+in+a+union)

Labor in America by Melvyn Dubofsky and Foster Dulles (http://www.amazon.com/Labor-America-History-Melvyn-Dubofsky/dp/0882952730/ref=pd_sim_b_2)

[Ostrinski]

Fall of the House of Labor by David Montgomery

[GiantMonkeyMan]

A People's History of the United States (http://www.historyisaweapon.com/zinnapeopleshistory.html) by Howard Zinn from chapter 11 onwards. I think quite a few people on this site have problems with Zinn but personally I quite like this book and it's online for free. :)

[Ostrinski]

A People's History of the United States (http://www.historyisaweapon.com/zinnapeopleshistory.html) by Howard Zinn from chapter 11 onwards. I think quite a few people on this site have problems with Zinn but personally I quite like this book and it's online for free. :)The problem with Zinn is that he makes a fucking moral judgement on everything. Aside from the fact that it's not a historian's place to do that, it's all around just annoying and unenjoyable to read.

[Jimmie Higgins]

"Subterranean Fire" (disclosure: which was published by a member of the group I'm in.) It goes through the history in a general way but presents it as a series of arguments and debates within and about labor. So this one has a more obvious political bent and argument.

"From the Folks who brought you the weekend" (Not sure what the politics of the writer are, but it seems to be more of a history textbook that isn't trying to draw out any lessons, but rather just present the history - in a pro-union way)

Anyway I recommend these for a couple reasons. First, they are both relatively easy to read and straightforward in presentation. But second, I think these are good introductory books on US labor because unlike some others from the past that were more narrowly trade-union focused, these books talk about radical formations such as the IWW and CP... but importantly because they include things like fights against sexism and racism and nativism as part of our labor history.

[Jimmie Higgins]

For something more specific or more detailed about individual strikes, check out "Labor Wars" by Sidney Lens which is specifically about nineteenth-century labor battles (often literal battles). Rather than a survey or overview like the two other books I listed, in this one each chapter is just about a specific labor battle and so it goes into more detail about each battle.