What Do We Need a Union for?: The TWUA in the South, 1945-1955

The rise in standards of living throughout the U. S. in the wake of World War II brought significant changes to the lives of southern textile workers. Mill workers' wages rose, their purchasing power grew, and their economic expectations increased--with little help from the unions. Timothy Minchin argues that the reasons behind the failure of textile unions in the postwar South lie not in stereotypical assumptions of mill workers' passivity or anti-union hostility but in these large-scale social changes. Minchin addresses the challenges faced by the TWUA--competition from nonunion mills that matched or exceeded union wages, charges of racism and radicalism within the union, and conflict between its northern and southern branches--and focuses especially on the devastating general strike of 1951. Drawing extensively on oral histories and archival records, he presents a close look at southern textile communities within the context of the larger history of southern labor, linking events in the textile industry to the broader social and economic impact of World War II on American society. |Minchin argues that the reasons behind the failure of textile unions in the postwar South lie not in stereotypical assumptions of mill workers' passivity or antiunion hostility but in large-scale social changes. Drawing extensively on oral histories and archival records, he looks at southern textile communities within the context of the larger history of southern labor, linking events in the textile industry to the broader social and economic impact of World War II on American society.

About the Author :
Timothy J. Minchin teaches American history at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He is author of What Do We Need a Union For?: The TWUA in the South, 1945-1955 and the award-winning Hiring the Black Worker: The Racial Integration of the Southern Textile Industry, 1960-1980.

Review :
"One of the most significant additions to southern labor history in the twentieth century to appear in some time. [Minchin] advances our understanding of the New South's leading industry and its workforce to a new level of sophistication and into a broader time perspective, and he throws new light on the failure of organized labor in one of the nation's most important manufacturing sectors. This book will go on many 'must read' lists." -- Thomas Terrill, University of South Carolina "A refreshing contribution." -- Journal of American History "A very impressive contribution to the literature in American labour history, but also to understanding the post-1940 South. . . . A model of style and organization with attention to debates in labour history and Southern history and deserves a wide readership." -- Labour History Review "An insightful examination of racial divisions in the southern paper industry and of the efforts of African American workers to break down the walls of segregation and end discrimination in the paper mills. . . . [Minchin's] work adds significantly to our understanding of the black freedom struggles of the late twentieth century. . . . A valuable contribution to our understanding of the racial dynamics of the southern workplace." -- Journal of Southern History "Based on massive archival research and extensive interviews with union activists and textile workers, What Do We Need a Union For? brings postwar southern textile workers to life as never before. It is a splendid addition to labor and regional history." -- Robert Zieger, author of The CIO, 1935-1955 "Contains important lessons for anyone interested in the future of the U.S. labor movement." -- CHOICE "Honest scholarship that sets the record much straighter than it was before. It covers topics thoroughly and fairly, including gender and race." -- Journal of Economic History "Minchin's keen analysis combines attention to race, gender, and worker culture with shrewd assessment of econometric and institutional factors in explaining labor's failure in the South." -- Robert Zieger, author of The CIO, 1935-1955 "Minchin's study of race in the paper industry shows in graphic detail that federal intervention was absolutely essential for addressing job discrimination. . . . Minchin makes a valuable contribution to discussions about state action and to arguments about the failures of interracial unionism. Most important, his vivid evidence proves that legal remedies would have been dead letter without black workers' grit and tenacity." -- Labor History "Well researched and written. . . . It should be included in the reading of all historians interested in contemporary American history as well as Southern history." -- Mississippi Quarterly