Labor in America

Even since the last edition of this milestone text was released, union membership in the private sector of the economy has fallen to levels not seen since the nineteenth century; the forces of economic liberalization (neo-liberalism), capital mobility, and globalization have affected measurably the material standard of living enjoyed by workers in the United States; and mass immigration from the Southern Hemisphere and Asia has continued to restructure the domestic labor force-all of which has been exacerbated by national security policy formed in the shadow of the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Yet even in the face of anti-union legislation and a continuing decline in the number of organized workers, the purpose of the latest edition of this popular textbook-the powerful and appealing story of the American worker from the colonial workshop to the modern mass-assembly line-remains the same as that of the first edition written by Foster Rhea Dulles more than a half century ago: to enlighten present and future generations of students about the history of work, workers, and worker movements in the United States, and to encourage them to learn and think about those who built the United States and those who will shape its future.