Labor Under Siege: Big Bob McEllrath and the ILWU's Fight for Organized Labor in an Anti-Union Era(Labor Under Siege)

Big Bob-six-feet-four Robert McEllrath's waterfront handle-was heralded for his powerful speaking style, charisma, unifying vision, and negotiating prowess. President of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) for twelve eventful years, McEllrath retired in 2018 after nearly forty years as a union officer. More than just a telling of a storied career, Labor under Siege explores how the influential union persisted in an era when the US labor movement was under attack and seemingly in retreat. In the face of grave dangers since the 1980s, including threats from corporations, government authorities, law enforcement agents, and even other labor unions, the ILWU has persevered and retained its vibrancy. Offering insight into Big Bob's leadership and a close-up view of how decision-making and policy were carried out to ensure the union's survival, Labor under Siege shows how union officers and rank-and-file members shaped ILWU strategy and furthered the union's legacy of advocating for workers' rights, democracy, and justice.

About the Author :
Harvey Schwartz is curator of the Oral History Collection for the ILWU Library in San Francisco. He is the author of Building the Golden Gate Bridge: A Workers' Oral History and Solidarity Stories: An Oral History of the ILWU. Ronald E. Magden (1926–2018) is the author of several books, including A History of Seattle Waterfront Workers, 1884–1934 and two accounts of longshore unionism in Tacoma.

Review :
"A meticulous contribution to the oral history of an important sector of the US working class centered around the accounts of Big Bob and influential activists within the ILWU during a crucial period for organized labor." (New York Labor History Association) "In Labor Under Siege, historians Harvey Schwartz and his colleague, the late Ron Magden, have crafted an extraordinary volume of labor history and biography through skilled and meticulous use of oral history interviews...While [the book] is clearly about "Big Bob" McEllrath and why he matters in the constellation of the Union, it also serves as a useful guide to the contours of the history of the ILWU since the 1990's and how its legacy has endured." (The Dispatcher - ILWU) "The strength of Labor under Siege lies in what the author calls an oral history-based 'view of how decisions were taken and policy carried out to ensure the ILWU's sustainability during a challenging time for all of labor.'" (Beyond Chron) "Clear and informative . . . The individual voices of participants are resonant and compelling." - Independent Publishers of New England Book Awards "Labor under Siege offers an intimate, engaging portrait of Big Bob McEllrath." (Oregon Historical Quarterly) "Labor under Siege provides a vivid, inside portrait of a union and its leaders facing major challenges. The oral history format allows the reader to understand the participants through their own words." (Southern California Quarterly) "By delving deeply into one prominent labor organization, the book reflects the conflicts and constraints that have threatened the existence of American unions in recent years. . . Dr. Schwartz's Labor under Siege will stand as an important contribution to the recent history of workers. It provides a context for working-class and social justice studies as it informs and inspires today's workers, activists, union leaders, and all citizens who value justice, fairness, and democracy." (LaborOnline - The Labor and Working-Class History Association) "An important and innovative work that deserves a wide readership among anyone interested in insiders' accounts of the US labor movement's challenges and successes over the last half century." (The Public Historian) "In Labor under Siege, Harvey Schwartz skillfully uses multiple voices to highlight the biography of Robert McEllrath, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union's (ILWU) longtime leader (he retired in 2018), and the history of the union itself over a forty-year period. . . There is little literature, oral history or otherwise, about contemporary labor leaders or about how a mature union manages its affairs. The story of "Big Bob" McEllrath and the ILWU should be welcome reading for oral historians, as well as union leadership and labor historians." (Oral History Review) "Labor under Siege presents Big Bob's trajectory, and that of his union more broadly, as a lens through which to examine how neoliberalism has harmed the labor movement—and how one of this country's more democratic, socially committed unions has fought back." (Western Historical Quarterly) "The book's strength lies in its use of oral history interviews as the primary narrative force, giving voice to those immediately involved in McEllrath's life and the ILWU. . . . Labor under Siege not only enriches the existing historiography of the ILWU but also contributes to a broader understanding of the union's significance within the history and culture of the Pacific Northwest and the broader landscape of labor history in the U.S." (Pacific Northwest Quarterly) "Balancing the threads of increasing automation, growing employer strength, and a federal government often out of alignment with labor's needs has been a near-constant experience for the ILWU since the 1970s. Schwartz and Magden tell this story well in Labor under Siege. . . . Schwartz and Magden's work provides a union history in the union members' own words. Their many collected interviews provide a treasure trove of quotes and anecdotes." (International Labor & Working-Class History) "[A] great book to excerpt for union, workers centers, and apprenticeship labor history/labor studies classes or school course readers." (Labor Studies Journal)