New Deal Network     Photo Gallery     Search     Classroom     Documents
Labor in the 1930s Bibliography
Introduction    Author Index    Subject Index

Author:    Schacht, John N.
Title:     The Making of Telephone Unionism, 1920-1947.
Publisher:     New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1985
Listed Under:
Telephone Unions

Notes:     The author sets forth the characteristics of the largely female telephone work force and of the telephone industry (dominated 1920-1947 by the Bell System), weighing the pro- and/or anti-union impact of each. He recounts the post-Wagner Act transformation of the Bell company unions into a patchwork of legitimate, albeit weak, independent unions; their 1938 coalescence into a loose federation; their growing militancy during World War II; and their 1947 emergence as a centralized national union, the Communications Workers of America. The impulse toward centralization, the author argues, was mainly the product of unionists' growing militancy, coupled with their hard-won, rational perception that centralization was needed to successfully confront the Bell System's centralized management. --JNS


Annotative Remarks

We would very much appreciate any further notes regarding this work. Of particular interest would be any comment upon its usefulness as a teaching vehicle, if applicable, and its age-appropriate level, if below the college level. You may submit annotations via the form below or by email, to newdeal@feri.org.






Name:


Institutional Affiliation:


Email address (optional):