There exists a hidden history of post-World War II New York and East Coast waterfront labor relations. During this era, dockworkers fought an ongoing battle against shipping companies, local police, federal and state political authorities, and their own corrupt union leadership. This book reveals how labor relations on the docks were driven from below by radical and reform rank-and-file movements led by communists, Catholics, and local union leaders. The book uncovers this little-known history that depicts the impact of state and local politics and political institutions on the labor movement ... More

There exists a hidden history of post-World War II New York and East Coast waterfront labor relations. During this era, dockworkers fought an ongoing battle against shipping companies, local police, federal and state political authorities, and their own corrupt union leadership. This book reveals how labor relations on the docks were driven from below by radical and reform rank-and-file movements led by communists, Catholics, and local union leaders. The book uncovers this little-known history that depicts the impact of state and local politics and political institutions on the labor movement in postwar America. It looks at power and collective action, as well as institutional and social movements, specifically analyzing the intersection of labor and its impact on political development. Interviews, meticulous examinations of newspaper accounts, official reports, rank-and-file newsletters, and oral histories establish the contours of this work. This historical account illustrates how ordinary workers defied the combined powers of elites and sporadically imposed their will on labor relations.