Beaten down, worked up : the past, present, and future of American labor
by Steven Greenhouse

From the longtime New York Times labor correspondent comes an in-depth look at working men and women in America, the challenges they face, and how they can be re-empowered.

Blood runs coal : the Yablonski murders and the battle for the United Mine Workers of America
by Mark A. Bradley

Documents the 1969 assassination of the Yablonski family amid a campaign to oust the corrupt president of the UMWA, in a timely account that reflects the violent labor movements, industrial transformations and socioeconomic realities of fossil-fuel dependency.

A collective bargain : unions, organizing, and the fight for democracy
by Jane McAlevey

A longtime labor, environmental and political organizer argues that unions are the only institution capable of fighting back against today's super-rich corporate class. 

The crusades of Cesar Chavez : a biography
by Miriam Pawel

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Union of Their Dreams draws on thousands of documents and interviews to examine the myths and achievements marking the life of the iconic labor leader and civil rights activist, portraying him as a flawed but brilliant strategist who was often at odds with himself.

Crystal Eastman : a revolutionary life
by Amy Aronson

Crystal Eastman was a central figure in many of the defining social movements of the twentieth century -- labor, feminism, internationalism, free speech, peace. She is commemorated, paradoxically, as one of the most neglected feminist leaders in American history. This first full-length biography recovers the revealing story of a woman who attained rare political influence and left a thought-provoking legacy in ongoing struggles. The social justice issues she cared about -- gender equality and human rights, nationalism and globalization, political censorship and media control, worker benefits and family balance, and the monumental questions of war, sovereignty, force, and freedom -- remain some of the most consequential questions of our own time.

The Disney Revolt : The Great Labor War of Animation's Golden Age
by Jake S. Friedman

Soon after the birth of Mickey Mouse, one animator raised the Disney Studio far beyond Walt's expectations. That animator also led a union war that almost destroyed it. Art Babbitt animated for the Disney studio throughout the 1930s and through 1941, years in which he and Walt were jointly driven to elevate animation as an art form, up through Snow White, Pinocchio, and Fantasia. But as America prepared for World War II, labor unions spread across Hollywood. Disney fought the unions while Babbitt embraced them. Soon, angry Disney cartoon characters graced picket signs as hundreds of animation artists went out on strike. Adding fuel to the fire was Willie Bioff, one of Al Capone's wiseguys who was seizing control of Hollywood workers and vied for the animators' union. Using never-before-seen research from previously lost records, including conversation transcriptions from within the studio walls, author and historian Jake S. Friedman reveals the details behind the labor dispute that changed animation and Hollywood forever.

Fight like hell : the untold history of American labor
by Kim Kelly

This history of the labor movement examines the workers and organizers who risked their livelihoods to fight for fair wages, better working conditions and an eight-hour workday. 

Mother Jones : the most dangerous woman in America
by Elliott J. Gorn

A portrait of the celebrated union organizer and labor activist traces Mother Jones's obscure early life as an Irish immigrant, schoolteacher, and dressmaker; details the early deaths of her husband and children; and her role as an agitator who changed the course of the American labor movement.

On the job : the untold story of worker centers and the new fight for wages, dignity, and health
by Celeste Monforton

A noted public health expert and award-winning journalist traveled across the country, speaking with workers of all backgrounds and uncovering the stories of hundreds of new, worker-led organizations that have successfully achieved higher wages, safer working conditions and on-the-job dignity for their members.

On the line : a story of class, solidarity, and two women's epic fight to build a union
by Daisy Pitkin

Taking readers inside a bold five-year campaign to bring a union to the dangerous industrial laundry factories of Phoenix, Arizona, this book offers a long overdue look at the modern-day labor movement, how difficult it is to bring about social change, and why we can't afford to stop trying.