Empire in Wood - by Robert A Christie (Paperback)

About the Book

First published in 1956, Empire in Wood is the definitive history of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America.

Book Synopsis

First published in 1956, Empire in Wood is the definitive history of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, from its predecessors, the carpenters' trade unions established at the turn of the nineteenth century, to the immediate post-World War II period, when it boasted a membership of 722,000 and was unrivaled among the craft unions in its size and influence.

Robert A. Christie traces the emergence and development of carpenters' trade unions from the earliest known organization, formed in Philadelphia in 1791, through the founding of local and then state-wide craft unions throughout the nineteenth century, to the creation of the national organization in 1881. He then details the campaigns, internal struggles, organizational shifts, and challenges--technological, legal, political, and ideological--faced by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America over the next seventy-five years.

Review Quotes

Empire in Wood is a choice title for Robert A. Christie's book on the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. Within the House of Labor the leaders of the Carpenters built an empire and guarded it as jealously as ever did any medieval prince his imperial domain. Aggressively and continuously they fought to extend the jurisdiction of the carpenters. First, they asserted control over the job that had been traditionally done by the carpenters; then they claimed control of 'all [work] that's made of wood'; and finally, they sought control of all work 'that ever was made of wood.' They were ready and eager to do battle whenever and wherever threatened. It mattered little, if the interests of the carpenters were involved, whether it was against their parent organization (the American Federation of Labor), the government of the United States, craftsmen in allied and other trades, or capital generally.

This exciting, well-written book describes the reaction of an organization to technological change. The carpenters evolved an international organization designed for a single purpose: maintenance of 'jurisdiction.' Other unions, particularly in the building trades, have been interested in jurisdiction, but economic pressures have forced the carpenters to develop the art of jurisdictional fighting to its highest refinement. Empire in Wood is a major contribution to our understanding of the dynamics of craft unionism. It is also very good reading.

About the Author

The late Robert A. Christie was the president of Millersville University from 1965 to 1968.