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African Americans, Labor, and Society Organizing for a New Agenda Edited by Patrick L. Mason

Over the past twenty-five years, union participation has declined among the nation as whole. Coupled with increasing racial tensions, cutbacks in public programs at the federal, state, and local levels, and a shift in the distribution of wealth, these changes have undermined the standard of living for American workers' families, especially African American families, as they created greater wealth for the American elite. African Americans, Labor, and Society examines these changes, in particular their effects on the entire African American community, and suggests a move toward a more egalitarian future. The volume provides a detailed case study of the nature and extent of racial conflict within a major industrial union, and analyzes and suggests policy changes that would increase the political and economic power of American workers as a whole, while aggressively attacking racism in social, economic, and political institutions.

"Patrick Mason's book African Americans, Labor, and Society provides insightful analysis into the historical and current state of the Black Labor Alliance. The discussion of legal and collective action related to the struggle for racial equality and economic justice makes this work compelling reading." —Norman Hill, President, A. Philip Randolph Institute Patrick L. Mason is Associate Professor of Economics and Director, African American Studies Program, Florida State University.

African American Life Series $34.95s cloth / ISBN 0-8143-2689-7 280 pages / 6 x 9 2001 contents > introduction [partial] > extract > index >