Rank and File: Personal Histories by Working-Class Organizers

by Alice Lynd, Staughton Lynd

In this long-out-of-print oral history classic, Alice and Staughton Lynd chronicle the stories of more than two dozen working-class organizers who occupied factories, held sit-down strikes, walked out, picketed, and found other bold and innovative ways to fight for workers’ rights.

Rank and File brings the militancy of these firebrand organizers to life—whether it was in founding unions, challenging sexism and racism, safety violations, and management intimidation, or working for broader social changes.

Genres: Labor, History, Nonfiction, Politics, Oral History, United States, Activism

442 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alice and Staughton Lynd interviewed 21 radical labor organizers, many of whom were involved in labor organizing in the 1930s-60s. They were rank n file organizers, who refused to be lured into higher office and comfort into union burearacracy or accept positions in company management, but stayed on the shop floor as rank and file unionists. They believed in worker democracy, or as the Lynds term it, “solidarity unionism”, which was meant for the groups to watch out for one another by any means necessary, and to build a strong and militant union. Many of the organizers note that the highest point of the unions was when the Communists and other radicals like the IWW or Trotskyists were involved in organizing in Steel or Auto industries, before the late 40s Red Scare led to the unions booting out all the radical organizers as a result of collaboration with the Taft-Hartley Act, even though the radicals had been their best organizers. Many of the organizers here refused to sign affidatias saying they weren’t Communists. After these purges, many of the unions lost militancy and became complacent, cooperating with the companies instead of fighting for better conditions. The organizers fought against both horrible bosses and unresponsive union bureacrats, though it should be noted that none of these organizers thought it was a good idea to not have a union at all.

Key Themes and Concepts:
-The best organizers are part of the workers themselves, meaning you do not separate yourself from other workers. When someone is aggrieved, you bring them along instead of representing them so they are apart of a solution.
-Companies were organized not because of an outside union, but because the workers themselves wanted a union.
-The loss of militancy meant unions were unprepared for the assault of their gains beginning in the 1970s and intensifying in the 1980s. Part of this was automatic dues check which put unions on independent financial status, and bargaining away of the ability to strike.

[Cool_guy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rank and File is billed as a collection of oral histories from radical, rank and file labor organizers who participated in union struggles from the 1930s all the way through the late 90s. Interesting enough. In this respect, it does a fine job. The implicit question, however, that it asks, and one that I find to be more interesting, is "What did it mean to be a radical labor organizer in 20th century America?" The answer, I'm afraid, isn't a happy one.

If you set aside the struggles of the 1930s, the history of unions the U.S over the past century is one of repression, resignation, complacency, and, ultimately, defeat. Of course this is in spite of the heroic battles waged by the people interviewed for this collection; but nonetheless, it is eye opening to see how the cultural, political and material factors which led to the defeat of labor during the neoliberal counter offensive reveal themselves in the lives of individual militants.

As the struggles recounted in the book get closer to the present, horizons get smaller, an ultimately self-defeating (although understandable and justified) distrust of institutions and "politics" creeps in. The union fights become rearguard actions, desperate struggles to maintain, rather than advance, the movement. It is, on one hand, very depressing. But on the other, those people kept the fire alive. As I watch labor militancy return to the U.S, I realize that we owe it to those people who fought on to delay defeat, to keep labor alive for just another day. Hindsight is, as they say, 20/20, which makes their perseverance all the more remarkable -- they had no idea that the struggle would flare up again twenty years down the line. I have a great deal of respect for their courage.

[GrootRoss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every rank and file union member should read this book. It is a great collection on stories across generations of American labor history. From the coal mines of southern Iowa to the fields of California; from the turn of the century, till the beginning exodus of labor jobs in the 70s, Rank & File offers a diverse group of organizing stories from regular union workers. Perhaps most enlightening and most important is struggles of these workers within their own unions. Know your history and put it in practice.

[Mills College Library]

331.88092 R198 2011

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Require reading for anyone curious about the history and practice of labor organizing.

[Wendy Liu · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a classic that i accidentally bought two copies of this (i thought the second one looked familiar...)

[Russell Carr]

A superb read. Full of timeless tips and tactics for organising in any and every workplace.The hurdles and pitfalls that these class fighters had to face in a hostile American labour market put this reader's efforts - and excuses! - to shame. Don't mourn, ORGANIZE!

[Zachary · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing oral history collection that gives voice to the women and men behind the labor upsurge of the 1930s.