The Cablevision War: How Workers and Their Union Won Against a Billionaire (Working Class in American History)

By Gay Semel

In 2012, Cablevision workers in Brooklyn voted to join the Communications Workers of America (CWA). The landslide victory for unionization sparked a five-year battle against Cablevision and its over-the-top anti-union tactics.

Gay Semel draws on her front-line experiences to provide an insider's look at this bitter labor fight and its implications for unionization across the country. Unwilling to accept the vote, Cablevision, and its CEO James Dolan, used aggressive and illegal tactics like harassing and firing the Brooklyn workers to weaken support for the union. The CWA responded by mobilizing public pressure to push back. As the conflict unfolded, the union found support among community leaders, politicians, and activists. Semel traces the slow and difficult process of winning a first contract and details how courage, unity, and perseverance triumphed over a powerful company.

Dramatic and compelling, The Cablevision War tells the inspiring story of an important victory for workers and the lessons it offers for a revitalized labor movement.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0HJGFM9WL
• ISBN13: 9798240400292
• Release Date: April 2027
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.3"