Autoworkers Under the Gun: A Shop-Floor View of the End of the American Dream
Description
Workers' rights are not defined by law or contract. Workers' rights are defined by struggle. Gregg Shotwell's Live Bait & Ammo newsletter chronicled the outrages and absurdities of corporate managers, exposed union leaders who acted in "partnership" with employers, and sounded the alarm about the devastating effects of auto industry job losses and union concessions. LB&A fliers grew legs of their own, distributed by rank-and-file workers in auto plants across the United States and cited by industry analysts. This collection spans a decade of autoworker resistance--and it's a call to action for a new generation of workers coming of age in recession-wracked America.
Product Details
Price
$17.00
$15.81
Publisher
Haymarket Books
Publish Date
February 14, 2012
Pages
200
Dimensions
5.4 X 8.3 X 0.9 inches | 0.79 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9781608461424
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
Gregg Shotwell, a machine operator turned rebel writer, worked 30 years at General Motors. His shopfloor fliers grew legs of their own. Workers all over the country and abroad downloaded Live Bait & Ammo and commandeered company copiers to spread what Gregg calls, "the vigor of truth and the ruth of rebellion." His growing notoriety led reporters in his hometown to question: "Is Toyota scared of this man?" UAW bureaucrats pretend he doesn't exist, but auto industry analysts and reporters cite his work, and online labor media like Socialist Worker, Labor Notes, and the Monthly Review post his articles, poems, and satires with unreserved enthusiasm.
Reviews
"No one has cut through the hypocrisy of what capitalism has done to American workers with more passion, wit, and insight than Gregg Shotwell."
--Sam Gindin, former research director, Canadian Auto Workers "We factory folks are so very lucky to have our own poet laureate and writer preeminent--Gregg Shotwell."
--Elly Leary, labor educator and former autoworker, chief negotiator, and union officer "Like a barking junkyard dog, Shotwell is there to defend the workers that the corporations and the unions have forgotten."
--Justin Z. West, past president and bargaining chairman, UAW Local 2488, autoworker at Volvo Cars, Gothenburg, Sweden "He speaks for a large unappreciated reservoir of intelligence, insight, and guts in the working ranks. Almost invisible, watching the situation closely, preparing for our day."
--Larry Christensen, chassis assembler, UAW, retired "I read your e-mails pretty regular. I know you very well. . . .You're done, brother. Shut off the mic."
--Stephen P. Yokich, UAW president, 1994-2002
