Labor in Retreat

Based on research into the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA), an industrial union with a progressive posture, Labor in Retreat details workplace politics in a larger context and presents a fresh view on the origins of business unionism, with significant implications for a different perspective on American immigration history. Focusing on Chicago and using a wealth of primary sources, Youngsoo Bae analyzes residential patterns, social institutions, and social relationships and posits that the weakened sense of community among ethnic groups after World War I, rather than the unfavorable atmosphere of the day, had a major impact upon the ACWA turning toward business unionism. Proposing a fresh perspective on American immigration history, which embraces both the old and revisionist models, Labor in Retreat also suggests a different conception of class, community, and space as it explores these issues related to the American labor movement.