The CIO, 1935-1955

Description

The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) encompassed the largest sustained surge of worker organization in American history. Robert Zieger charts the rise of this industrial union movement, from the founding of the CIO by John L. Lewis in 1935 to its merger under Walter Reuther with the American Federation of Labor in 1955. Exploring themes of race and gender, Zieger combines the institutional history of the CIO with vivid depictions of working-class life in this critical period. Zieger details the ideological conflicts that racked the CIO even as its leaders strove to establish a labor presence at the heart of the U.S. economic system. Stressing the efforts of industrial unionists such as Sidney Hillman and Philip Murray to forge potent instruments of political action, he assesses the CIO's vital role in shaping the postwar political and international order. Zieger's analysis also contributes to current debates over labor law reform, the collective bargaining system, and the role of organized labor in a changing economy. Title Page Copyright Page Contents Preface Abbreviations Introduction: The Fragile Juggernaut Chapter 1: Before the CIO Chapter 2: Founding the CIO, 1935–1936 Chapter 3: Over the Top, 1936–1937 Chapter 4: The Diverse Arenas of the CIO, 1936–1938 Chapter 5: Stasis and Schism, 1938–1940 Chapter 6: 1941, Year of Decision Chapter 7: World War II Chapter 8: After the War Chapter 9: The CIO and Its Communists Chapter 10: The Korean War Chapter 11: The Postwar CIO Chapter 12: The Final Years of the Late, Great CIO Chapter 13: Merger and Beyond Conclusion Notes Index