The New Rank and File

Much has changed for workers in the years since Staughton and Alice Lynd's classic Rank and File: Personal Histories by Working-Class Organizers was first published in 1973. The New Rank and File presents interviews with working-class organizers of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s who face the challenges of a new economy with the same determination and creativity shown by those profiled in the earlier book. Reflecting the increasing globalization of labor practicesand problemsThe New Rank and File contains oral histories of workers in Guatemala, Palestine, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Canada, as well as the United States. In their narratives, rank-and-file workers from many different industries and workplaces reveal the specific incidents and pervasive injustices that triggered their activism. They discuss the frustrations they faced in attempting to effect change through traditional means, and the ways in which they have learned to advocate through innovation. In an incisive introduction, the Lynds set forth their distinctive perspective on the labor movement, with a focus on "solidarity unionism": making decisions on the assumption that we all may be leaders at one time or another rather than relying on static hierarchies. Their insights, along with true stories told in the organizers' own words, contain much to inspire a new generation of workers and activists. Jim Brophy Tony Budak Andrea Carney Chinese Staff and Workers' Association Coalition of University Employees Bill DiPietro Kay Eisenhower Rich Feldman The Frente Autentico del Trabajo Marshall Ganz Mia Giunta Martin Glaberman Mayra Guillen The Hebron Union of Workers and General Service Personnel Hugo Hernandez Margaret Keith Elly Leary Ed Mann Charlie McCollester Virginia Roman Vicky Starr Gary Stevenson Mike Stout Manuela Aju Tambriz James Trevathan TriState Conference on Steel Mauricio Vallejos Workers for Ford in Mexico