In early 2011, the nation was stunned to watch Wisconsin’s
state capitol in Madison come under sudden and unexpected
occupation by union members and their allies. The protests
to defend collective bargaining rights were militant and practically
unheard of in this era of declining union power. Nearly
forty years of neoliberalism and the most severe economic
crisis since the Great Depression have battered the labor
movement, and workers have been largely complacent in the
face of stagnant wages, slashed benefits and services, widening
unemployment, and growing inequality.
That is, until now. Under pressure from a union-busting governor
and his supporters in the legislature, and inspired by the
massive uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, workers in Wisconsin
shook the nation with their colossal display of solidarity and outrage. Their struggle is still ongoing, but there are lessons
to be learned from the Wisconsin revolt. This timely book
brings together some of the best labor journalists and scholars
in the United States, many of whom were on the ground
at the time, to examine the causes and impact of events, and suggest how the labor movement might proceed in this new era of union militancy.
