Fitch gets very specific. He looks at the AFL-CIO, the AFSCME, and
the Teamsters, with particular attention to what goes on in certain local
affiliates. Even apart from the Mafia and pension-fund pilfering, it seems
that the various reform movements that occasionally spring up are powerless
to change anything. In his concluding chapter Fitch offers ideas on how
to restore the U.S. labor movement. What's needed is real democracy and the
accountability of the leadership, within the unions themselves. Compared to
unions in Europe, where workers can take longer vacations, get sick, and
become pregnant without penalty, the American situation is dismal. As this
review is written two years later, it's also beginning to look like the
middle class in America is under serious pressure while the rich get richer,
at the same time that Europe is becoming economically stronger.
ISBN 1-891620-72-X
Extract the names from this source