We Are the Union - by Eric Blanc (Paperback)

About the Book

"After decades of union decline and rising inequality, an inspiring wave of workplace organizing--from Starbucks stores to Amazon warehouses to southern auto factories--has thrust unionization into the national spotlight. By analyzing this surge and telling the stories of the courageous workers driving it forward, We Are the Union makes a case for how to overcome business as usual in both corporate America and organized labor. Eric Blanc shows that recent struggles have developed a new organizing model, worker-to-worker unionism, which builds scalable power by giving rank-and-filers an unprecedented degree of leadership. Through digital tools and ambitious campaigns, young worker leaders are turning the labor movement back into a movement--and they're winning. Rigorously researched and compellingly written, We Are the Union illustrates how this new grassroots approach can exponentially grow the power of working people to overcome economic exploitation, racial injustice, and authoritarianism at work and beyond"--

Book Synopsis

A riveting account of labor's bottom-up resurgence, providing a roadmap for workers, unions, and social movements to win widely.

After decades of union decline and rising inequality, an inspiring wave of workplace organizing--from Starbucks stores to Amazon warehouses to southern auto factories--has thrust unionization into the national spotlight. By analyzing this surge and telling the stories of the courageous workers driving it forward, We Are the Union makes a case for how to overcome business as usual in both corporate America and organized labor.

Eric Blanc shows that recent struggles have developed a new organizing model, worker-to-worker unionism, which builds scalable power by giving rank-and-filers an unprecedented degree of leadership. Through digital tools and ambitious campaigns, young worker leaders are turning the labor movement back into a movement--and they're winning. Rigorously researched and compellingly written, We Are the Union illustrates how this new grassroots approach can exponentially grow the power of working people to overcome economic exploitation, racial injustice, and authoritarianism at work and beyond.

From the Back Cover

"We Are the Union is an urgently needed blueprint for how we beat the billionaire class. Every worker should read this book."--Shawn Fain, President of the United Auto Workers

"To overcome MAGA extremism and corporate rule, Eric Blanc shows how unions can fully harness the power of rank-and-file leadership. This book should transform the labor movement--and the fight for democracy at home and abroad."--Sara Nelson, President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA

"Though Blanc's emphasis is on how to organize on the scale necessary to qualitatively build worker power, this book is really about taking a cold look at the challenges workers face in the twenty-first century in organizing. Blanc does not avoid the hard questions and issues, but takes them straight on. Reading this book immediately catalyzed ideas and scenarios for me in thinking about new organizing. Bravo!"--Bill Fletcher Jr., trade unionist and coauthor of Solidarity Divided

"A timely, powerful, and optimistic assessment of the recent labor uptick. Based on extensive new research, Blanc shows that young workers have forged a new model of union organizing, facilitated by social media, that offers a promising path forward for the beleaguered US labor movement."--Ruth Milkman, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, City University of New York

"In this extraordinary moment of possibility for the labor movement, Blanc has penned an essential roadmap for how workers can go from possibility to revolutionary power."--Krystal Ball, cohost of Breaking Points

Review Quotes

"Blanc's lively and lucid book, . . . is an analysis of changing organizing models that should be of interest to not only labor activists, but also sociologists of work, social movements, and organizations broadly."

-- "Social Forces"

"Inspiring examples of workers fighting back and winning on both fronts."

-- "New Politics"

"In We Are the Union, Blanc examines the relatively new concept of worker-to-worker unionism, arguing for the necessity of a new model of unionization that relies on the workers themselves to unionize rather than paid, full-time union organizers. . . . Blanc's straightforward approach makes this an excellent read for researchers at all levels."-- "Choice"

"A compelling case not only for organizing millions more workers into the labor movement but for doing it in a way that could help them build power in their unions and in their workplaces."-- "Jacobin"

"Nearly 60% of workers in America say they would support having a union where they work, yet only 11% have one. This thoughtful book uses recent organizing at Starbucks and other companies to discuss ways to close that gap. The central thesis is that to get to the necessary scale existing unions need to invest far more resources in supporting organizing led by workers themselves."-- "World Wide Work"

"We owe a debt of gratitude to Eric Blanc for We Are the Union, and for his continuing outspoken activism in support of labor organizing. . . . We Are the Union gives us rich stories of worker-initiated organizing, in many cases leading to dramatic victories."-- "Convergence"

"In this wired age, the opportunities are boundless for worker-to-worker communication, building power directly in the workplace. Blanc well summarizes how powerful these tools are and the opportunity they present to build union power from the ground up."

-- "Power at Work Blog"

About the Author

Eric Blanc is Assistant Professor of Labor Studies at Rutgers University, an organizer trainer in the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee, author of Red State Revolt: The Teachers' Strike Wave and Working-Class Politics, and director of the Worker to Worker Collaborative.