Description
Book SynopsisFinalist in the category of Narrative Nonfiction for the 2023 IPNE Book Awards from the Independent Publishers of New EnglandWinner of the 2023 National Indie Excellence Award Biography/HistoricalWinner of the 2023 IPPY Gold West-Pacific Best Regional Nonfiction, sponsored by the Independent Publisher Book AwardWinner of the 2023 Nautilus Award Silver Heroic Journeys Category, sponsored by the Nautilus Book AwardsCompelling stories and forceful voices capture a tenacious union in transitionBig Bobsix-feet-four Robert McEllrath's waterfront handlewas heralded for his powerful speaking style, charisma, unifying vision, and negotiating prowess. President of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) for twelve eventful years, McEllrath retired in 2018 after nearly forty years as a union officer. More than just a telling of a storied career, Labor under Siege explores how the influential union persisted in an era when the US labor movement was under attack and seemingly in
Trade Review"A meticulous contribution to the oral history of an important sector of the US working class centered around the accounts of Big Bob and influential activists within the ILWU during a crucial period for organized labor."
* New York Labor History Association *
"In Labor Under Siege, historians Harvey Schwartz and his colleague, the late Ron Magden, have crafted an extraordinary volume of labor history and biography through skilled and meticulous use of oral history interviews...While [the book] is clearly about "Big Bob" McEllrath and why he matters in the constellation of the Union, it also serves as a useful guide to the contours of the history of the ILWU since the 1990's and how its legacy has endured."
* The Dispatcher - ILWU *
"The strength of Labor under Siege lies in what the author calls an oral history-based “view of how decisions were taken and policy carried out to ensure the ILWU’s sustainability during a challenging time for all of labor.”"
* Beyond Chron *
