No shortcuts : organizing for power in the new gilded age /
McAlevey, Jane,
No shortcuts : organizing for power in the new gilded age / Jane F. McAlevey. - xv, 253 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Includes bibliographical references (pages 233-236) and index.
1. Introduction -- 2. The Power to Win in the Community, Not the Boardroom -- 3. Nursing Home Unions: Class Snuggle vs. Class Struggle -- 4. Chicago Teachers: Building a Resilient Union -- 5. Smithfield Foods: A Huge Success You've Hardly Heard About -- 6. Make the Road New York -- 7. Conclusion: Penned Power vs. Actual Power.
"The crisis of the progressive movement in the United States today is so evident that nothing less than a fundamental rethinking of its basic assumptions is required. Today's progressives now work for professional organizations more comfortable with the inside game in Washington, where they are outmatched and outspent by special interests. Labor unions now focus on the narrowest possible understanding of the interests of their members, and membership continues to decline in lockstep with the narrowing of their goals. Meanwhile, promising movements like Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter have not accomplished meaningful change. Why do progressives in the United States keep losing on so many issues? In No Shortcuts, Jane McAlevey argues that progressives can win, but lack the organized power to enact significant change, to outlast their bosses in labor fights, and to hold elected leaders accountable. Drawing upon her experience as a scholar and longtime organizer in the student, environmental, and labor movements, McAlevey examines the case studies of recent social movements to pinpoint the factors that helped them succeed - or fail - to accomplish their intended goals. McAlevey makes a compelling case that the great social movements of previous eras gained their power from mass organizing, a strategy today's progressive have mostly abandoned in favor of mobilization or advocacy. She ultimately concludes that, in order to win, progressive movements must adopt bottom-up organizing strategies that place the power for change in the hands of workers and activists at the community level. Beyond the concrete examples in this book, McAlevey's arguments have direct implications for anyone involved in organizing for social change. Much more than just a cogent analysis, No Shortcuts explains exactly how progressives can go about rebuilding powerful movements at work, in our communities, and at the ballot box."-- "An examination of strategies for effective organizing"--
9780190624712 019062471X
40026615138
Oxford Univ Pr, 2001 Evans rd, Cary, NC, USA, 27513 SAN 202-5892
2016006948
GBB6E2874 bnb
018068331 Uk
Community organization.
Community power.
Social movements.
No shortcuts : organizing for power in the new gilded age / Jane F. McAlevey. - xv, 253 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Includes bibliographical references (pages 233-236) and index.
1. Introduction -- 2. The Power to Win in the Community, Not the Boardroom -- 3. Nursing Home Unions: Class Snuggle vs. Class Struggle -- 4. Chicago Teachers: Building a Resilient Union -- 5. Smithfield Foods: A Huge Success You've Hardly Heard About -- 6. Make the Road New York -- 7. Conclusion: Penned Power vs. Actual Power.
"The crisis of the progressive movement in the United States today is so evident that nothing less than a fundamental rethinking of its basic assumptions is required. Today's progressives now work for professional organizations more comfortable with the inside game in Washington, where they are outmatched and outspent by special interests. Labor unions now focus on the narrowest possible understanding of the interests of their members, and membership continues to decline in lockstep with the narrowing of their goals. Meanwhile, promising movements like Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter have not accomplished meaningful change. Why do progressives in the United States keep losing on so many issues? In No Shortcuts, Jane McAlevey argues that progressives can win, but lack the organized power to enact significant change, to outlast their bosses in labor fights, and to hold elected leaders accountable. Drawing upon her experience as a scholar and longtime organizer in the student, environmental, and labor movements, McAlevey examines the case studies of recent social movements to pinpoint the factors that helped them succeed - or fail - to accomplish their intended goals. McAlevey makes a compelling case that the great social movements of previous eras gained their power from mass organizing, a strategy today's progressive have mostly abandoned in favor of mobilization or advocacy. She ultimately concludes that, in order to win, progressive movements must adopt bottom-up organizing strategies that place the power for change in the hands of workers and activists at the community level. Beyond the concrete examples in this book, McAlevey's arguments have direct implications for anyone involved in organizing for social change. Much more than just a cogent analysis, No Shortcuts explains exactly how progressives can go about rebuilding powerful movements at work, in our communities, and at the ballot box."-- "An examination of strategies for effective organizing"--
9780190624712 019062471X
40026615138
Oxford Univ Pr, 2001 Evans rd, Cary, NC, USA, 27513 SAN 202-5892
2016006948
GBB6E2874 bnb
018068331 Uk
Community organization.
Community power.
Social movements.