The Unmaking of the American Working Class

By Reg Theriault

Portrays the American blue-collar culture as decreasing, citing administrations in the second half of the twentieth century that have eliminated large portions of the working class and how this has... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1565847628
• ISBN13: 9781565847620
• Release Date: February 2003
• Publisher: New Press
• Length: 211 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 7.6"

Customer Reviews

An excellent primer on how unionism is supposed to work.

Reg Theriault's book, "The unmaking of the American Working Class" is a must read for economists, capitalists, politicians, managers, and executives. Why do I say that? My experience is that those folks often have no idea about actually doing hard work themselves. Short of spending a few years digging ditches with shovel and muscle, this book will give them insight as to the folks they try to turn into wage slaves. I enjoyed reading this book. It is a good read. I do not completely agree with Reg Theriault's politics, but he makes solid points with me on showing how "big business" tries to get the upper hand in dealing with unions and union workers. It also shows some examples of how technological changes are changing the nature of human work. Finally, it shows that blue-collar workers are, both, much smarter and much more intelligent than the media paint them. One of the factors he does leave out is how many union leaders do get corrupted by "big business". I grew up in the hard coal country of Pennsylvania and saw what happened to the rank and file when the union leaders got corrupted by the mine owners or by the power they could bear on their own rank and file. Sometimes, it was very nasty. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn a little about real life or to, just, have a good read.