Title
Labor's Home Front : The American Federation of Labor during World War II / Andrew E. Kersten.
ISBN
9780814749135
Published
New York, NY : : New York University Press, [2006]
Copyright
©2006
Language
English
Language Note
In English.
Description
1 online resource : 28 black and white illustrations
Item Number
10.18574/nyu/9780814749135.001.0001 doi
Call Number
HD8072 .K38 2006
Dewey Decimal Classification
331.88097309044
Summary
One of the oldest, strongest, and largest labor organizations in the U.S., the American Federation of Labor (AFL) had 4 million members in over 20,000 union locals during World War II. The AFL played a key role in wartime production and was a major actor in the contentious relationship between the state, organized labor, and the working class in the 1940s. The war years are pivotal in the history of American labor, but books on the AFL's experiences are scant, with far more on the radical Congress of Industrial Unions (CIO).Andrew E. Kersten closes this gap with Labor's Home Front, challenging us to reconsider the AFL and its influence on twentieth-century history. Kersten details the union's contributions to wartime labor relations, its opposition to the open shop movement, divided support for fair employment and equity for women and African American workers, its constant battles with the CIO, and its significant efforts to reshape American society, economics, and politics after the war. Throughout, Kersten frames his narrative with an original, central theme: that despite its conservative nature, the AFL was dramatically transformed during World War II, becoming a more powerful progressive force that pushed for liberal change.
Access Note
Access limited to authorized users.
System Details Note
Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
Digital File Characteristics
text file PDF
Source of Description
Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 18. Sep 2023)
Frontmatter
Contents
Preface: Labor's Grave Hour
1 The Politics of "Equality of Sacrifice": The AFL and Wartime Labor Relations
2 Putting the Shackles on Labor: The AFL and the Fight Against the Open Shop
3 Building Ships for Democracy: The AFL, the Boilermakers, and Wartime Racial Justice in Portland and Providence
4 "Under the Stress of Necessity": Women and the AFL
5 Union Against Union: The AFL and CIO Rivalry
6 Death in the Factories: Worker Safety and the AFL
7 Planning America's Future: The AFL and Postwar Planning
Epilogue: Labor's Moment
Notes
A Note on Sources
Index
About the Author
