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The principal book about Human Capital Theory.
Recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economic Science, Becker has pioneered the aplication of economic analysis to human behavior in such areas as dicrimination, married, family, etc. This book is a classic study of the consequences of investing in a person's knowledge and skills. According to his theory, investing in an individual's education and training is similar to business investments in equipment.

One of the principal book about Human Capital Theory. ... Read more

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The story of how the Wobblies, the Industrial Workers of the World, planned to combine the American working class into one big labor union. ... Read more

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The best of a mediocre lot
The definitive work on the IWW has yet to have been written. If you have no real knowledge of the IWW's history, this is the best available commercial overview. This isn't to say there are many flaws in it, there are. But it does mention the IWW as an international movement. It acknowledges the IWW was a going concern in the 20s and 30s and that it continues to exist today.

If you want an even better history, search out "The IWW: it's first 50 years" by Fred Thompson. It is tragically out of print, but is available in many libraries. This an official history of the IWW, but is a acknowledged labor classic for its honesty and even handedness. Its only weakness is its brevity because the IWW was too poor to print a larger volume.

Book description misleading: Wobblies still very much alive.
The Card Catalog Description for this book is very misleading. It treats the Wobblies as if they are a thing of the past, whereas in reality the IWW is still very much alive and working for the same ideals it has always worked for.

The definitive book on the Wobblies
A great book for readers interested in labor, social, and radical history. This book is excellent in revealing the clash between socialists, anarchists, communists, and industrial unionists. The IWW was the home of American radicals from 1905-1930. From Eugene V. Debs of the Socialist Party of America & the American Railway Union to Daniel DeLeon of the Socialist Labor Party & the Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance, from John Reed of the Communist Labor Party to William Z. Foster of the Communist Party of America, from Big Bill Haywood of the Western Federation of Miners to Lucy Parsons - widow of Albert (Haymarket Square Martyr), from Mother Jones to Victor Berger, and notable sympathizers such as Hellen Keller and Margaret Sanger. Check out this great book on revolutionary unionism today. ... Read more

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This broad survey of unemployment is a benchmark summary of the authors' position which became hugely influential. This second edition brings the analysis up to date by relating it to recent empirical developments. This book is a major source of reference for both scholars and students. ... Read more

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How would a typical American workplace be structured if the employees could design it? According to Richard B. Freeman and Joel Rogers, it would be an organization run jointly by employees and their supervisors, one where disputes between labor and management would be resolved through independent arbitration. Their groundbreaking book--based on the most extensive workplace survey of the last twenty years--provides a comprehensive account of employees' attitudes about participation, representation, and regulation on the job.More than anything, the authors find, workers want their voices to be heard. They desire a greater role in the workplace (but doubt management's willingness to share power), and have strong ideas about how their involvement could improve not just their lot but also their companies' fortunes. Many nonunion workers favor the formation of unions, and virtually all union workers strongly support their union. Most employees support the creation of labor-management committees--to which workers would elect their representatives--to run the organization and settle conflicts. And, contrary to commonly held assumptions, workers (including those in unions and those wishing to be) do not like dissension with their supervisors; they overwhelmingly prefer cooperative relations. The authors also report on the views of the supervisors, who confirm their wish to retain exclusive authority to make decisions, but demonstrate a willingness to listen more actively to labor's concerns by giving employees a more substantial voice on advisory committees.Freeman and Rogers present their findings within a broader picture of the evolving structure of labor and management in the United States. Their detailed description of their survey--how it was constructed and conducted--provides a model for workplace research in our time. And the results allow the voices of employees to be heard on matters profoundly affecting their jobs, their lives, and, ultimately, the state of the American economy. ... Read more

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What Workers Want
Finally a book that ask's workers what they want, rather than some pontification of a organizational theory or anecdotal information by a Ivory Tower Guru. The authors used a multi-part survey that ask workers about what they wanted - participation in the organizations is what the workers seeked. Workers voiced their opinion in that they believe that greater participation in their jobs and organizations would both benefit the organization and the employee. The authors, Richard Freeman, Ascherman Professor of Economics at Harvard and Joel Rogers MacArthur Professor of Law, Political Science, and Sociology at the Univesity of Wisconsin believe representation and participation of the workers at their jobs would benefit both the employee and employer, who would gain a more engaged and committed workforce. A interesting section in the book covers, "Why Care about What Workers Want? The authors answer these questions with some thoughtful discussion. Compelling and honest! I thoroughly recommend it to Executives, Administrators, Managers and Human Resources professionals! I ... Read more

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An innovative and informative mini-encyclopedia of work and workers in America. Unique and comprehensive, The Lexicon of Labor features informative and engaging descriptions of more than 500 key places, people, and events in American labor history. From Eugene Debs to Cesar Chavez, the Haymarket Riots in 1886 to the Teamsters/ups strike in 1997, labor writer R. Emmett Murray provides brief, fascinating sketches of this vital part of the American experience. The Lexicon of Labor also includes explanations of major legislative acts, definitions of key legal terminology, and complete listings of all the member unions of the AFL-CIO and independent unions in the United States. A practical, handy resource for students and journalists, and an ideal introduction to the history of labor in America. Terms include: AFL-CIO; boulwarism; collective bargaining; Davis-Bacon Act; downsizing; Fair Labor Standards Act; Homestead Strike; I.W.W.; Knights of Labor; maquiladora; May Day; Palmer Raids; scab; sweatshop; Taft-Hartley Act; union bug; wildcatting; wobblies; zipper clause; and many more. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent Reference Book!
This book has a lot of history and definitions included. Awsome book. Every worker should know the struggle labor has indured.

A Masterwork of workers under masters
For 12 bucks, no one could find a more rich, and most important, more concise compendium of the American labor movement and American labor at work. Murray et. al. have done a service to everyone with this thoughtful, experienced addition to the record of American toilers. ... Read more

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The Real Nate.
Nate Shaw was the father of my Uncle Oscar Turner's best friend. His real name was Nate Cobb and the family of the son, Lorraine, is prominent in the Middletown, Ohio ghetto.

The author has done a masterful job of illustrating how greatness was thrust upon him. Nate never set out to become a hero, only to protect his own dignity and provide for his children.

I do not believe that there is a better book for teaching about the lies of 20th century sharecroppers. Theirs is an overlooked legacy.

Just looking for help with a book report
I am hoping that by entering a review here, I can see other reviews that I can use to write a book review on this title. Its due tomorrow! Yikes!

A Natural For Oprah's Book Club
Ted Rosengarten is a masterful writer. All God's Dangers is an amazing undertaking that brings Nate Shaw's story to life. After a few pages, it's almost as if you can hear Nate talking. A must read for anyone interested in history and anyone who wants to learn how a book should be written. And Rosengarten's Tombee, if it can be found, is another must read.

amazingly detailed
it is not often that you can receive such an in depth and personal account of life in the south "post-slavery". even though slavery had been abolished and the south was supposed to be in reformation, nate shaw's true-life account shows how the effects of slavery (on both sides) were lasting and not easily forgotten. Shaw's extremely detailed account helps those of us who were not living in that time and place to get a real understanding of how this country was formed, and will hopefully open your eyes to the unnecessary and hideous reasons people have for discrimination. ... Read more

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A must-read for the student of disasters
Once I opened this book, I was hooked. The author's writing style grips you by the throat and drags you along with the survivors and the victims of this horrific yet history-making catastrophe! Every time you go into an office building and see a glowing exit sign, idly note that the doors have crash bars and open into the stairwell, or brush up against a fire extinguisher or hose cabinet, you'll remember why they're now mandated to be there. This disaster should never have happened, and this book explains why and how steps were taken to keep it from happening again. But it is also a book about people--those who made it out alive and those who didn't, and the little choices that made the difference.

Clear and Informative
I just finished reading this book in order to gain more back ground information for a paper I am in the midst of writing. Stein has included an enormous amount of very detailed information about the fire, as well as many of its implications. This book proved to be a very useful tool for my paper--I highly recommend it for anyone who wishes to study the tragedy more in depth.

A historical treasure
I teach fire history and I found the book to be an invaluable resource highlighting one of Americas worst tragedies. I would highly recommend it for both those with a passion for history and for fire buffs.

Leon Stein is a genius
I used this book to write a 33 page paper concerning the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. It is not only fascinating, but the most thorough work on this tragic subject I could find. He is a fantastic author and documentarian. ... Read more

Book Description

A century and a half of America's consumer economy in one easy-to-use volume.This second edition of the highly successful Value of a Dollar records the actual prices of thousands of items that consumers purchased from the Civil War to the present, along with facts about investment options and income opportunities.The first edition, published by Gale Research in 1993, covered the period from 1860 to 1989.This second edition has been completely redesigned and revised and now contains two new chapters, 1990-1994 and 1995-1999.Each 5-year chapter includes a Historical Snapshot, Consumer Expenditures, Investments, Selected Income, Income/Standard Jobs, Food Basket, Standard Prices and Miscellany.This interesting and useful publication will be widely used in any reference collection. ... Read more

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An Invaluable Research Tool!
This book is a highly detailed and simply invaluable research tool for writers, historians, teachers, etc. Some books give you a quick sampling -- ie, bread cost so much, milk cost so much, a car cost so much -- without giving you any more specifics or backing up their stated facts with sources. But THE VALUE OF A DOLLAR digs deeper, giving you comparisons (high end cars, low end cars), plus charts of how much people in various professions made (while Elvis made ten million in one year in the '50's, a secretary with typing and shorthand typically earned around $85 a week). You can check out the grocery section to see how fruits, vegetables, and all household staples stacked up against a person's basic salary and how much of their income went for basic necessities -- or look at the cost of entertainments (movies, theater tickets, sporting events, games) in any particular era. Simply fascinating reading, carefully documented (columns typically list which publications the prices or salaries came from). If you're a writer of any kind of history or historian of any kind, don't be without it!

GREAT BOOK
IT IS A GREAT BOOK. I USED IT FOR MY SCHOOL, ON A HISTORY PROJECT I FOUND EVERY THING I NEEDED IN FROM THE YEARS OF1955-1989-1999 I RECOMEND IT TO ALL PEOPLE! ... Read more

Book Description

This collection of original essays offers an inside view of the current state of American unions. Most of the contributors are prominent activists in the AFL-CIO, and their writings assess the state of the movement in the late 1990s. ... Read more

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Strong on idealism, limited realistic assessments
The labor movement in the U.S. in 1994 was reeling from at least two decades of shrinking membership and loss of political and economic influence. The election debacle in the Fall of 1994 was the final blow that forced an acknowledgement that their leadership and manner of operation were hopelessly ineffectual. The new "New Voice" leadership of the AFL-CIO, elected in 1995, hit the ground running with ambitious aims for a labor turnaround. In a decided change from past practice, John Sweeney, the new president of the AFL-CIO, called for open debate and a critique of the labor movement from both within and without the labor movement. This volume contains the input of 27 individuals who participated in a labor symposium in anticipation of the transition. If not officials in labor unions, almost all of the contributors work within the labor movement in some capacity.

These contributors all see the traditional union approach of firm-centered collective bargaining conducted by union officials and staffers as a guaranteed prescription for further union decline. But what do they think the labor movement should be doing or become? Their emphasis is on organizing both for workplaces and within communities, on the inclusion and expansion of opportunities for ethnic and gender minorities both in terms of membership and leadership positions in unions, on the impact of globalization and its main strategic initiative neoliberalism on working people throughout the world, on the need for renewed and independent political action, and on counterpoising worker democracy and solidarity against what amounts to the class warfare of capitalism.

There is a great deal of idealism and optimism but unfortunately not a lot of realism and pragmatism that permeates this collection. Of course, that is somewhat understandable in that the New Voice leadership has given the labor movement renewed hope of a turnaround.

Perhaps the vaguest notion put forward in these essays is the notion that unions, or the labor movement, need to become some sort of society-wide institution concerned with issues of the working class in general regardless of union membership. This concept is termed social movement or community unionism. One tactic proposed is for the labor movement, itself a rather vague concept, to form coalitions with social and political groups. Except in a few inner-city areas there is hardly any overlap between specific workforces and geographic communities. Despite the fact that some union-community coalitions have been successful, there is no discussion of the feasibility or the mechanics of unions becoming broad social institutions in most communities.

There is general recognition from most of the authors that political power is essential to advance the position of working people. Disassociation from the Democratic Party and independent political action is urged. But what is lacking is any real assessment of the political orientation of the working class. One author comments on the lack of coherent political thinking among working people. It seems that the notions of social movement unionism and political power are intertwined in some manner but at this point this seems to be more of a partially formulated ideal than a possibility.

Advocacy of greater inclusion of immigrants and ethnic and gender minorities can hardly be disagreed with. But the huge increase in semi-professional and technical workers, who are largely unrepresented, is ignored by these authors. What little overlap there is between workplaces and communities most probably exists among immigrants and ethnic groups. Perhaps the labor movement, as a practical matter, sees the potential for recruitment of members as far greater in these urban areas.

Given the background of the contributors, it is understandable that there is no commentary on the entire structure of workplace representation. Much union representation is based on fairly sizeable groups of workers with common functions, a situation that does not pertain in hundreds of thousands of workplaces. The European system of legislated workplace-based works councils that are in turn of a part of supra-works councils makes a lot of sense. The consultation and codetermination aspects of works councils go a long way toward the workplace democracy that some of the authors advocate. Throw in tri-partite discussions at the highest levels of the works councils and the potential exists for a representation system that exceeds the sparse, rather ad hoc, and limited system of union representation in the U.S.

There is no doubt that these authors are well aware that the labor movement is at best only minimally serving the working class in the U.S. They point out many of the problems and make considerable effort to describe where the labor movement needs to be. But the optimism engendered by the New Voice leadership seems to have clouded and limited the perspectives on what is attainable. Perhaps those authors would have a different assessment from today's vantage point. More recent works such as "State of the Union" or "The Future of Private Sector Unionism" offer somewhat more sobering accounts of the labor movement in the U.S. ... Read more

Book Description

Amazon.com

While not everyone who opens a home-based business will make it to the top, a number of notable success stories--including mail-order mogul Lillian Vernon, Borland International's Philippe Kahn, and Rebecca Matthias of Mothers Work--have proven it is possible to buck the odds and go from kitchen-table entrepreneur to big-time corporate honcho. The recently revised and expanded edition of Home Business, Big Business: The Definitive Guide to Starting and Operating On-Line and Traditional Home-Based Ventures, by consultant and retired CEO Mel Cook, is aimed at readers who hope to follow in their footsteps.

Cook opens with short inspirational profiles of these and other formerly home-based high-achievers, and then lays out many of the basic details that can help one get from here to there. He touches on everything from initial planning and product/service pricing to daily operation and preparations for future growth. He also describes more than 100 work-at-home options, divided into categories like crafts, personal service, mail order, and manufacturing and repair, and has added a section about using the Net to launch and grow such enterprises. Final chapters deal with turnkey business ventures, legal considerations, opportunities for the elderly and disabled, and further resources.-- Howard Rothman ... Read more

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Solid,practical advice for new entrepreneurs going online.
A no hype, tell it the way it is homebased business book. Especially good was the section on starting a micro-business on the Internet. Lots of do-it-yourself information to keep costs low. The cybermarketing success secrets alone are worth the price of the book. Very helpful for first time in the business world entrepreneur. Good value, in my opinion. ... Read more

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Good, basic description but many questions arise
Though "Learning from Saturn" will undoubtedly not be high on the general public's reading lists, for those interested it is a book that adequately describes the basics of the Saturn system that has gotten a lot of media coverage over the last decade or so from conception to the present. The various innovative structures of Saturn such as teams, modules, business units, and councils are first described, but the book is far more concerned with the interactions among the Saturn management and the local UAW union and with GM and the international UAW. While the authors liberally point out the successes of the Saturn system, they are equally concerned with demonstrating the shortcomings principally in the areas of communications and decision-making among the various parties that have impacted the performance of Saturn. Despite Saturn's cars consistently scoring high on consumer quality ratings, internally Saturn has had difficulties with problem solving, productivity, organizational learning, and even quality.

The more discerning reader will have many questions while reading this book, especially in light of the fact that the authors are highly experienced labor relations academics. After the PATCO wholesale firings in 1980, US corporations declared war on unions. Yet why did GM agree to share management of a business with the UAW in the early 80s? The authors' explanation of a downturn in sales is insufficient. In actuality it was sheer panic, or desperation, on the part of GM coupled with the UAW being the strongest union in the US that prompted GM to go against its every instinct. That is not a trivial point.

The core production unit at Saturn is the work team consisting of 6 to 15 members with one of those individuals being elected as team leader. Teams have the responsibility of dealing with many aspects of production: work planning and scheduling, material and inventory control, budget constraints, repairs, training, quality, hiring, vacation scheduling, absenteeism, etc. Team members do receive several hundred hours of training in these areas, but it strains belief to find that this amount of expertise can be more or less equally imparted among disparate teams. With so much dependency on teams, a few teams that do not perform well despite their best efforts could easily interfere with overall results. Since teams essentially take on the role of HR management, they have to deal competently with such issues as discrimnation in hiring or discipline. What happens to union solidarity when team leaders are forced to discipline co-workers?

Certainly assembly is an essential part of the quality of an automobile but engineering would have to be more important. But the authors do not address the fact that engineering is not co-located with production and is not part of the UAW. How does the local union or teams determine that the highly technical aspects of the car design are correct? Again, expertise issues do not simply disappear with participation.

The authors do discuss organizational problems. They contend that the lack of communications or follow-up is the key to most problems. But not enough information is provided concerning the actual workings of teams to be sure that deeper structural problems do not exist.

The authors point out that the international UAW is concerned that the local Saturn union takes on characteristics much like the company unions that were essentially banned by the Wagner Act of 1935. But the authors could have indicated that unions are not necessarily even needed for substantial employee participation. For example, the legislatively mandated works councils of northern Europe provide for co-determination by employees in workplaces with resort to labor courts in the event of employer conflicts. It is not unions per se that is the key for employee input. There have to be channels for communications regardless of the system and there must be due process for workers that exercise voice. In addition, participation can occur with or without production teams.

It is surprising that the authors did not mention the efforts by some in the US Congress to pass legislation permitting employers to establish work teams on their own terms with no due process for employees. The authors are concerned with learning from Saturn. The authors are undoubtedly fully aware that the closest that most employers will come to a Saturn system is to install some sort of pseudo employee participation scheme.

I do find much to criticize about this book. But I do think that it is essential reading for anyone interested in labor relations and employee participation. ... Read more

Book Description

The arrival of several hundred Guatemalan-born workers in a Morganton, North Carolina, poultry plant sets the stage for this dramatic story of human struggle in an age of globalization. When laborers' concerns about safety and fairness spark a strike and, ultimately, a unionizing campaign at Case Farms, the resulting decade-long standoff pits a recalcitrant New South employer against an unlikely coalition of antagonists. Mayan refugees from war-torn Guatemala, Mexican workers, and a diverse group of local allies join forces with the Laborers union. The ensuing clash becomes a testing ground for "new labor" workplace and legal strategies. In the process, the nation's fastest-growing immigrant region encounters a new struggle for social justice.

Using scores of interviews, Leon Fink gives voice to a remarkably resilient people. He shows that, paradoxically, what sustains these global travelers are the ties of local community. Whether one is finding a job, going to church, joining a soccer team, or building a union, kin and linguistic connections to the place of one's birth prove crucial in negotiating today's global marketplace.

A story set at the intersection of globalization and community, two words not often linked, The Maya of Morganton addresses fundamental questions about the changing face of labor in the United States. ... Read more

Book Description

Americans have always believed that economic growth leads to job growth. In this groundbreaking analysis, Stanley Aronowitz argues that this is no longer true. Just Around the Corner examines the state of the American economy as planned by Democrats and Republicans over the last thirty years. Aronowitz finds that economic growth has become "delinked" from job creation, and that unemployment and underemployment are a permanent condition of our economy. He traces the historical roots of this state of affairs and sees under the surface of booms and busts a continuum of economic austerity that creates financial windfalls for the rich at the expense of most Americans. Aronowitz also explores the cultural and political processes by which we have come to describe and accept economics in the United States. He concludes by presenting a concrete plan of action that would guarantee employment and living wages for all Americans.

With both measured analysis and persuasive reasoning, Just Around the Corner provides an indispensable guide to our current economic predicament and a bold challenge to economists and policymakers. ... Read more

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TECHNOLOGY IS DESTROYING JOBS, BUT HOPE FOR TOMORROW!
This book presents the author's assessment of how today's economy, while generating wealth and capable of recovery from recession, is not generating a commensurate expansion in job opportunities. Advances in technology account for this situation, according to Aronomwitz. His analysis and insights boldly and brilliantly challenge the conventional wisdom that technology advancements produce more jobs than they destroy. He also explores the "price of neoliberal globalization, the Reagan revolution, the Clinton 'Boom,' and the downsizing of America." Aronowitz also concludes that an agenda is needed to create the conditions that would "restore our sense of economic well-being and to reverse the incredible power of large corporations..." that, united with political power, is driving down living standards and bringing about an acceptance of authoritarian forms of economic and political rule.

But the author is not technophobic or pessimistic. He is optimistic. He believes what is needed is a reality-based perspective on our economy; one that employs a "tight safety net," creates labor-intensive jobs that expand the "public good," promotes alternative energy resources, and most importantly, revises our paradigm of "full employment" and the "full-time job." He also sees broader, global implications for this big-picture agenda.

The book offers a compelling, concise case for seeing the U.S. economy (and, contextually, the nation as-a-whole) in a new light, based on solid evidence. This is well-reasoned and robust challenge to 'business-as-usual' economic thinking! It casts a bright light on what may be the 800 pound economic and political guerilla of the 21st century.

If a good nonfiction book is one that informs, stimulates thinking, challenges comfortable mindsets, and sparks the imagination, this one passes the test with flying colors. ... Read more