Labor's Civil War In America: The NUHW Healthcare Workers' Rebellion - Softcover

"The civil war inside the [Service Employees International Union] is a tragic story, yet as Cal Winslow emphasizes in this urgent and dramatic account, it may contain the seeds of authentic renewal in the American labor movement." Mike Davis, author, "City of Quartz""

"Strange tales from the gothic wing of the capitalist health industry, complete with vampires and leeches. In this instant classic of journalism from below, one of the pioneers of radical social history reports on remarkable signs of life in the morbid body of American labor." Iain Boal, Retort Collective"

"I am a witness to how hard these workers have fought to have their own organization, to have the quality organization and the high standards they have won. I want to commend these workers and the high quality of their leadership - I have worked with them for years. I understand why they are fighting so hard now to rebuild their organization, now the NUHW. This is a book that that everyone needs to read." Dolores Huerta"

"Highly informative. And the spirit is invigorating." Noam Chomsky"

"The emergence of [the National Union of Healthcare Workers] has been one of the most exciting recent developments in U.S. labor. From the ashes of the old, health care workers in California are trying to build something that's new, different, and definitely worth fighting for. Cal Winslow's account of their difficult struggle is moving and insightfuland maybe even a roadmap for others to follow." Steve Early, author, "Embedded in Organized Labor""

"Could be an essential element in the redundancy protections of democratic unionism. It should be read by every union member. It should be carried in their hip pocket, to be pulled out and referenced every time there is the slightest whiff of corruption rising from the employer or the union hierarchy." "Labor Notes""

A clear analysis of tactics and politics, this thorough account examines the dispute between the United Healthcare Workers (UHW) union in California and its ?parent” organization the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)?one of the most important labor conflicts in the United States today. It explores how the UHW rank and file took umbrage with the SEIU’s rejection of traditional labor values of union democracy and class struggle and their tactics of wheeling and dealing with top management and politicians. The resulting rift and retaliation from SEIU leadership culminated in the UHW membership being forced to break out and form a brand new union, the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW). Timed to coincide with elections in California, this detailed history calls for a reexamination of the ideological and structural underpinnings of today’s labor movement and illustrates how a seemingly local conflict speaks to the rights of laborers everywhere to control their own fates.