What Do We Need a Union For?

“Minchin’s study of race in the paper industry shows in graphic detail that federal intervention was absolutely essential for addressing job discrimination. . . . Minchin makes a valuable contribution to discussions about state action and to arguments about the failures of interracial unionism. Most important, his vivid evidence proves that legal remedies would have been dead letter without black workers' grit and tenacity.” — Labor History

“An insightful examination of racial divisions in the southern paper industry and of the efforts of African American workers to break down the walls of segregation and end discrimination in the paper mills. . . . [Minchin’s] work adds significantly to our understanding of the black freedom struggles of the late twentieth century. . . . A valuable contribution to our understanding of the racial dynamics of the southern workplace.” — Journal of Southern History

“A very impressive contribution to the literature in American labour history, but also to understanding the post-1940 South. . . . A model of style and organization with attention to debates in labour history and Southern history and deserves a wide readership.” — Labour History Review

“Honest scholarship that sets the record much straighter than it was before. It covers topics thoroughly and fairly, including gender and race.” — Journal of Economic History

“Well researched and written. . . . It should be included in the reading of all historians interested in contemporary American history as well as Southern history.” — Mississippi Quarterly

“A refreshing contribution.” — Journal of American History

“Contains important lessons for anyone interested in the future of the U.S. labor movement.” — CHOICE

“One of the most significant additions to southern labor history in the twentieth century to appear in some time. [Minchin] advances our understanding of the New South’s leading industry and its workforce to a new level of sophistication and into a broader time perspective, and he throws new light on the failure of organized labor in one of the nation’s most important manufacturing sectors. This book will go on many 'must read' lists.” — Thomas Terrill, University of South Carolina

“Minchin’s keen analysis combines attention to race, gender, and worker culture with shrewd assessment of econometric and institutional factors in explaining labor’s failure in the South.” — Robert Zieger, author of The CIO, 1935–1955

“Based on massive archival research and extensive interviews with union activists and textile workers, What Do We Need a Union For? brings postwar southern textile workers to life as never before. It is a splendid addition to labor and regional history.” — Robert Zieger, author of The CIO, 1935–1955