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On Strike for Respect: The Clerical and Technical Workers' Strike at Yale University, 1984-85
It is we who push the papers, put the paychecks in the mail;
It is we who type the letters, mind the office without fail.
And until we get a contract, it is we who'll shut down Yale, For the union
makes us strong.
(To the tune of "John Brown's Body")
"Must reading for anyone who wants to learn what a revitalized labor
movement would look like." -- Labor Notes
"A textbook on solidarity unionism." -- Staughton Lynd
"One of the very best books on labor in the 1970s and 80s."
-- Dana Frank, University of California at Santa Cruz
"There are very few case studies in recent labor history as readable
and provocative as this one." -- Karen Sawislak, Stanford University
On Strike for Respect is a lively account of the 1984-85 strike
by clerical and technical workers at Yale University. Members of Local
34, with a strong female majority, mobilized themselves and the public,
breathing new life into the labor movement as they fought for and won
substantial gains. A short update on current conditions concludes this
volume.
It is we who type the letters, mind the office without fail.
And until we get a contract, it is we who'll shut down Yale, For the union
makes us strong.
(To the tune of "John Brown's Body")
"Must reading for anyone who wants to learn what a revitalized labor
movement would look like." -- Labor Notes
"A textbook on solidarity unionism." -- Staughton Lynd
"One of the very best books on labor in the 1970s and 80s."
-- Dana Frank, University of California at Santa Cruz
"There are very few case studies in recent labor history as readable
and provocative as this one." -- Karen Sawislak, Stanford University
On Strike for Respect is a lively account of the 1984-85 strike
by clerical and technical workers at Yale University. Members of Local
34, with a strong female majority, mobilized themselves and the public,
breathing new life into the labor movement as they fought for and won
substantial gains. A short update on current conditions concludes this
volume.
- GenresLabor
96 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 30, 2022
"Sooner or Later, You'll Win"
Inspirational and well-detailed account of the inception of Local 34. It was really cool seeing just how effective organizing strategies and principles - an active rank-and-file membership, emphasis on the broader moral basis of a union rather than specific issues, and the understanding that progress in the bargaining room is a reflection of organizing throughout campus - still hold true almost 40 years later.
Inspirational and well-detailed account of the inception of Local 34. It was really cool seeing just how effective organizing strategies and principles - an active rank-and-file membership, emphasis on the broader moral basis of a union rather than specific issues, and the understanding that progress in the bargaining room is a reflection of organizing throughout campus - still hold true almost 40 years later.
Read
March 23, 2020I heard of this book after Glipin's book on the FE came out. I have just started that. I look forward to dissecting that, and seeing how it relates to the current situation that labor is in.
The first sections are upbeat, and soaring in its rhetoric. I do not personally have very much experience with organizing, but I'd venture that the first half of the book is more useful for organizers. The first half touches more upon how the local was different than other union efforts of the time, though there is a twist at the end. I would like an update on what happened here. I think the demands were inherently conservative. Surely, one cannot deny the solidarity that Local 34 and 35 showed towards each on the pickets, but the contract aim of introducing steps seems counter to building solidarity. The locale of this labor struggle is also interesting: 1) the smallness of units, and the sheer number of buildings that were organized 2) the fact that the school can't move. I think the reasons why the struggle worked: 1) solidarity from blue-collar workers 2) poc organizers 3) fem organizers. Gotta start somewhere though, and see where it takes ya.
I actually think that this may be more the relevant labor struggle than 'Long Grudge.' It seems to be where more of the action is currently at least. Perhaps the key is to combine the ideology of the FE, which states that 'the managers simply do not have to exist.' I think Graeber's analysis of the caring classes, and bureaucracy are good places to investigate further.
I would be interested in talking to organizers from this campaign. I think there are some similarities between this, and where I work.
The first sections are upbeat, and soaring in its rhetoric. I do not personally have very much experience with organizing, but I'd venture that the first half of the book is more useful for organizers. The first half touches more upon how the local was different than other union efforts of the time, though there is a twist at the end. I would like an update on what happened here. I think the demands were inherently conservative. Surely, one cannot deny the solidarity that Local 34 and 35 showed towards each on the pickets, but the contract aim of introducing steps seems counter to building solidarity. The locale of this labor struggle is also interesting: 1) the smallness of units, and the sheer number of buildings that were organized 2) the fact that the school can't move. I think the reasons why the struggle worked: 1) solidarity from blue-collar workers 2) poc organizers 3) fem organizers. Gotta start somewhere though, and see where it takes ya.
I actually think that this may be more the relevant labor struggle than 'Long Grudge.' It seems to be where more of the action is currently at least. Perhaps the key is to combine the ideology of the FE, which states that 'the managers simply do not have to exist.' I think Graeber's analysis of the caring classes, and bureaucracy are good places to investigate further.
I would be interested in talking to organizers from this campaign. I think there are some similarities between this, and where I work.
February 12, 2010
a great history of the "re-founding" of our union
April 20, 2022
Reread this for probably the fourth time this week in anticipation of teaching it, and it holds up marvelously. A wonderful, concise, history of the Local 34 organizing drive and the 1984 strike and a foundational text in the history of university labor. Reading this book 20 years ago in a class on Strikes in 20th Century History and Culture helped to put me on the scholarly trajectory that led me to write my PhD dissertation on the topic of university labor struggles. What I love most about this book is how deeply engaged it is with the details of the struggle and the people who waged it.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews