Why Unions Matter.(Review)

Why Unions Matter. By Michael Yates. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1999. ISBN# 0853459290. 192 Pp. $17.00 paper.

This short, well-written book provides a general introduction to unions and the labor movement for both union members and non-members alike. Yates' seven chapters cover why unions exist, how workers organize them, union structure, collective bargaining, union political action, racism and sexism, and the path ahead. For readers who are not in a union, Yates explains the basics of unionism by combining a general overview with concrete and compelling examples drawn from his experience as a labor educator in the Pittsburgh area. This is not a dry text-book …