I come from a long line of farmers and small biz people, no union members that I know of. All the same, the unions made life better for everyone who's ever been a blue collar employee and yes, for white collar employees too. Do we know what life was like for grandparents, great grandparents during the pre and evolving union era? Some do, some don't. We can still learn from those who were there, and from those who inherited the stories-by the books that were written in or about that era. Two I highly recommend:
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Written in 1906. Chicago meatpacking industry (there was a sharp recession around 1907 too). (could get an education here also on why we have food industry regulations too).
The e-book is available here-read it for free.
http://www.online-literature.com/upton_sinclair/jungle/
Thunder on the Mountain. David Poyer. Grew up in Bradford, PA where the novel is set in 1936 oil and gas country. Quotes from 2 reviewers provided below: http://www.amazon.com/Thunder-Mounta...owViewpoints=1
1)Quote:
Set in the Northwestern Pennsylvania oil fields during the great labor conflicts of the Thirties, it details the struggles of the working man as well as the dilemmas facing management during the development of organized labor. The characters are finely drawn and the action and the suspense continues throughout the novel. I knew labor leaders from that era and lived through that period. The mood of this novel is absoluetly authentic. Both male and female characters are gritty, believable, and alive. An excellent read for all ages, will take you far into the night before you can put it down. Daily life in the Thirties comes alive here. Not simply history, not stuffed with technical material or trivia at the expense of character...
Quote:
2) I think an author has done his job when I want to enter the pages of his novel and talk to his characters. That's a testament to the complexity and realism of the personas you meet in this book, and to the vividness and high stakes of the struggles they face. Aside from that, no writer I know has a keener eye than Mr. Poyer for details that create verisimilitude. I was not alive in 1936, I have never been to Pennsylvania, never been to an oil field or oil refinery, and never participated in a hard-fought wildcat strike. But after reading this book I felt like I had been there.
