For the next few weeks, Literary Hub will be going beyond the memes for an in-depth look at the everyday issues affecting Americans as they head to the polls on November 5th. Each week at Lit Hub we’ll be featuring reading lists, essays, and interviews on important topics like Income Inequality, Climate Justice, LGBTQ Rights, Reproductive Rights, and more. For a better handle on the issues affecting you and your loved ones—regardless of who ends up president on November 6th (or 7th, or 8th, or whenever)—stay tuned to LitHub.com in October. Read part one, all about Income Inequality, here.
Today we’ve gathered the best stories published at Lit Hub about one of the most important issues affecting Americans: the right to stand together for better working conditions. With an introduction from Kim Kelly, the author of Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor.
_______________________
Kim Kelly on Why American Labor Matters
This past year has been an incredibly exciting one for the American labor movement. All across the country, workers have been organizing, fighting, and winning, and the momentum that began to build back in 2020 hasn’t slowed for a moment. The latest Gallup poll revealed that unions have a 70 percent approval rating, an historic high, and the younger generation has embraced the movement with particular fervor.
10 of the Best Books on the History of American Labor
The history of American labor is rich and vital. Without the sacrifices of generations of workers, who risked both lives and livelihoods in the name of fairness and equity, much of what we take for granted in our day-to-day lives would vanish: the eight-hour work day, the five-day work week (for some), protections for minors… But there’s still a long way to go. To read more about the history (and future) of American labor, check out the ten great books below.
The Fight for Better Living and Working Conditions for Latinx Farmworkers in the US
I begin this journey as far west as I can. Contrary to what you may think, the heartland lies at the edges of the United States, not the center. Along California’s Central Valley, the endless acres of land are responsible for growing more than half of the country’s nuts, fruits, and vegetables. This region of America is home to the voices that nourish our soul and fuel our wallets every single day. Many of those voices are undocumented, which reflects a national reality.
The Storming of Caesars Palace: On 50 Years of Progress Won By Black Mothers
It’s been 18 years since Storming Caesars Palace was first published, and the national mood on matters of race, gender, and economic justice has shifted dramatically. The year 2005 was a low point for social justice activists. George W. Bush’s presidency was unfolding in the shadow of the September 11 attacks. The USA Patriot Act, passed by Congress in response, sharply proscribed Americans’ civil liberties.
How Come We Don’t Know More About the Largest Labor Battle in the History of the United States?
The kids were getting restless, so on our way home from Blair Mountain we pulled off at an elementary school with a nice-looking playground. It was a Sunday afternoon in the middle of July, though it wasn’t hot, the West Virginia mountains towering over us and giving us shade. My wife stayed in the car with our infant daughter while I took our toddler son and headed for the slides.
We had the playground to ourselves. Things were quiet there, remote. I’m not sure a single car passed by in the thirty minutes we were there.
At one point, as my son ran toward the swings, I noticed a large sign standing nearby. Listed on the sign were donors who made the playground possible, a dozen or so names listed. Right at the very top of the list: Arch Coal and Massey Energy.
The Cult of the Hustle: Why We All Want to Become Our Own Boss
Modern culture whispers in your ears. If you listen closely, you can hear it everywhere. In ads on the Internet. From parents and coaches. From professors, politicians, and preachers. Be an entrepreneur. Start your own business. Work for yourself.
What these whispers are telling you is that you’re on your own. When it comes to getting ahead in the world today, you can’t simply go work for someone else. Real success comes to people who break the mold, seize their own destiny, and do it themselves. If you want a shot at material success, they say, you must be your own boss.
The Dramatic Consequences of Excluding Homecare Workers from Labor Rights
My first job out of college was working as a home care aide just outside Seattle in 1999. Robert had suffered a stroke as a complication of a routine surgery. It left him immobile from the waist down, with slurred speech and the appearance of having suffered a stroke. I cooked and cleaned, took him to the bathroom, dressed and undressed him, and administered some basic medications. I went shopping for him and did simple upkeep around the home and yard.
The Urgent Importance of Making Space for Stories from the Farmworking Community
What is your relationship to farmwork and the farmworker community?
Miguel M. Morales: I always thought I started working in the fields when I was in fourth grade. But when I was looking through photographs for this farmworker portfolio project, I came across a wallet-sized school picture of me. On the back I had written, 3rd grade ’77. I remember when it was taken, I had already been working in the fields for a while. So, I guess I must have started working when I was in the second or third grade.
Looking at the picture, I started to cry. For some reason that I had made up, it was okay for me to be a ten-year-old boy who worked the fields but the realization that I might have been eight or nine…well, that wasn’t okay. It was too much for me to process. Too much responsibility, too many sharp blades, too many days working in hundred-degree temperatures, too many miles walking up and down rows, eyes scanning crops and arms chopping weeds.
“It’s Not Just About the Job.” Between Humanity and Productivity in the Workplace
“I am, at best, a tier one associate of Amazon, still at this point. Initially, when I started there three years ago, I was just a temp. I thought I was an actual Amazon employee, but when you first come in the door, if you’re not in management, you’re just a regular temp. You’re on schedule, you’re an employee of the company, you have a position, but you don’t have any benefits. You’re there, but only as a temp, meaning that they can get rid of you at any point at their discretion.
“When I first applied here, I already had preconceived notions in my mind because of all the rumors that surround Amazon. I heard, most likely from social media and the news, about employees having hardships to bear outside of work as well as coming into work and having to deal with the anxiety of work and everything that is expected of you on the clock.”
His shift is from 1:05 a.m. to 11:35 a.m.
