Labor under Siege
Finalist in the category of Narrative Nonfiction for the 2023 IPNE Book Awards from the Independent Publishers of New England
Winner of the 2023 National Indie Excellence Award – Biography/Historical
Winner of the 2023 IPPY – Gold – West-Pacific Best Regional Nonfiction, sponsored by the Independent Publisher Book Award
Winner of the 2023 Nautilus Award – Silver – Heroic Journeys Category, sponsored by the Nautilus Book Awards
Compelling stories and forceful voices capture a tenacious union in transition
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.
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.