From Mission to Microchip: A History of the California Labor Movement

by Fred Glass

There is no better time than now to consider the labor history of the Golden State. While other states face declining union enrollment rates and the rollback of workers’ rights, California unions are embracing working immigrants, and voters are protecting core worker rights. What’s the difference? California has held an exceptional place in the imagination of Americans and immigrants since the Gold Rush, which saw the first of many waves of working people moving to the state to find work. From Mission to Microchip unearths the hidden stories of these people throughout California’s history. The difficult task of the state’s labor movement has been to overcome perceived barriers such as race, national origin, and language to unite newcomers and natives in their shared interest. As chronicled in this comprehensive history, workers have creatively used collective bargaining, politics, strikes, and varied organizing strategies to find common ground among California’s diverse communities and achieve a measure of economic fairness and social justice. This is an indispensible book for students and scholars of labor history and history of the West, as well as labor activists and organizers. 

Genres: Labor, History

542 pages, Paperback

Published June 28, 2016

Reviews

[Allison T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fred Glass is an absolute unit

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Often many of the texts selected by professors can be dry and uninteresting. This book was a definite exception. I found it engaging from beginning to end. I love history, and the idea that a labor class can be tied to a history lesson is of interest to me.

Obviously, the labor movement is a study in history, and in labor's improving position in the world. However, outsourcing has stolen the dream of a better life from millions in this country (not to mention the exploited in other nations that have taken on our production, pollution and physical risk).

If you consider yourself a pure Capitalist, but have failed to read ALL that Adam Smith wrote on the topic of Economics and Labor, reading this book will definitely help you understand where we came from with regard to rapacious unfettered capitalism, and where we may be returning if we are not careful.

[Anusha Datar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a comprehensive catalog of the history of workers and organized work in California. Glass spares no detail as he explores the roles of different social and ethnic groups in shaping California’s past, present, and future.

This book was my introduction to understanding political, economic, and social history through from the standpoint of organized labor. I found this framing really compelling, and I appreciated how clearly and explicitly Glass wrote. That being said, the sheer density and matter-of-fact tone of this book made it hard to get through, so I’d maybe recommend sections of it (especially the beginning) rather than recommend the whole book outright.

[Bastia Marlowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glass' work is the definitive history textbook, whether California history or American history in general. This is my second reading (for a different course) and I still wish I had taken better notes. It does not matter if you are an active union member or not, this book will make you see the TRUE value of America's labor unions and how Capitalist America keeps crapping down its throat.