Reviews for Shifting Fortunes: The Rise and Decline of American Labor, from the 1820s to the Present

The average rating for Shifting Fortunes: The Rise and Decline of American Labor, from the 1820s to the Present based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-02-08 00:00:00 Paul Withington Short, only 163 pages, but very rewarding. Using statistics on union density (union members as a percentage of the nonagricultural wage-earning work force) as an index, Nelson traces the ups and downs of U.S. labor unions from the early 19th century through the 1990s. His conclusion: worker autonomy, employer policies, and "the larger political and economic environment" have been the primary factors in the labor movement's development. Clearly, this is old-fashioned "institutional" labor history; unions, powerful union leaders, and government policies are the focus here, not cultural theories (Marxist theory, for example) that explain the rise of workers' consciousness within the capitalist system. As someone who tends to get glassy-eyed whenever economic or labor-related issues come under discussion, however, I appreciate Nelson's basic presentation of the issues. I also like the way he recounts a crucial event -- the 1894 United Mine Workers strike in one case, the 1937 General Motors strike in another -- as a jumping-off point for each chapter. Perhaps a little dated (WalMart, which Nelson describes as a "relatively new company", is mentioned only once in the text), but a worthwhile four-star introduction to the topic.

Review # 2 was written on 2007-02-19 00:00:00 Beau Eidt I read this immediately after getting hired by the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO and realized I didn't know a damned thing about labor history. A good high-level analysis and presentation of the struggle and highlights of the labor movement in America. This could be a textbook in a 100-level college course on either American Politics and its Participants or American History since the Civil War (as long as it's not a Labor History course!) I'd recommend it to anyone who's interested in learning a bit more about USA's Labor History.