Every now and then a book is published that asks us to redefine our view of the past and in that redefinition, challenges us to look anew at what type of future we want. Priscilla Murolo and A. B. Chitty have written just that kind of book: From the Folks Who Brought You the Weekend, published by The New Press.
It doesn't claim to break new ground in historiography. In fact, Murolo and Chitty say, "none of the material comes from our own research. We found an abundance of material…too much." But that is one of the really interesting things about Weekend.
Even though the material is readily available, very few people, especially youth, have access to it. "Even a casual look at American History," continue Murolo and Chitty, "reveals how much of what we learn and teach in school is just not true."
A conscience attempt was made to focus on "workers" and "working people." From the colonial times to the end of the twentieth century working people have tried to shape and structure the power dynamics in society. From the very first strikes to the struggle for an eight-hour workday, trade unions, benevolent associations and radical groups have fought to better their living conditions. Murolo and Chitty do an excellent job of putting these struggles on paper in a highly readable fashion.
In the chapter "Labor on the March" Murolo and Chitty write about the labor activism coming out of the great depression and the rise of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).
"From mid 1933 through 1934, about 2.5 million men and women went out on strike, and unions sprang up by the thousands…" The authors are clearly making the connection between power and unity, mass action and organization when they say, "these insurgencies gave birth to a new labor movement that would transform federal politics and policies, spark a rebellion in the American Federation of Labor, and bring the country's most notorious union busters to the bargaining table."
Murolo and Chitty also criticize where criticism is due. They remind us that the labor leaders didn’t always heed the concerns of the rank-and-file, and hasn't always done what was in the best interests of the working class. We are reminded that during the early eighties the AFL-CIO leaders "supported one government initiative with enthusiasm - the renewed crusade against communism." In that period, the AFL-CIO did its part to handicap independent political action and the labor movements in Latin America, Eastern Europe and South Africa.
From the Folks Who Brought You the Weekend is at its best when it brings the issue of equal pay for equal work into the context of all struggles. Weekend shows how sexism and racism have weakened the labor movement and the power of the people; a lesson we should all pay very close attention.
If you are interested in reading history from a working class perspective, I suggest From the Folks Who Brought You the Weekend. No library should be without it.
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