Laboring for Freedom: New Look at the History of Labor in America: New Look at the History of Labor in America

by Jacoby,Daniel

• ISBN13: 9780765602510
• ISBN10: 0765602512
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-01-31
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Laboring for Freedom examines the concept of freedom in the context of American labor history. Nine chronological essays develop themes which show that "liberty of contract" and "inalienable rights" form two contradictory traditions concerning freedom: one tradition insists that liberty involves the expression of individual will with regard to one's property (i.e. one's labor); the second tradition holds that there are fundamental rights of man that must neither be taken away by the state nor surrendered by the individual. The tensions between these two concepts are traced in the book. Topics covered include republican independence, corporate paternalism, the compromises of collective bargaining, and human rights in a global economy. The book argues that ultimately freedom is best analyzed as a changing set of constraints, rather than an attainable ideal.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Prologue	3	(8)
Part I: Independence or Contract	11	(42)
1. Republican Soil	13	(20)
2. Contracting Liberties	33	(20)
Part II: Illusory Freedoms	53	(62)
3. The Properties of Labor	55	(13)
4. A Skillful Control: Managing the Labor Process	68	(16)
5. Incorporating Paternalism	84	(14)
6. Free Education	98	(17)
Part III: New Deals and Old Ideals	115	(51)
7. Union Compromise	117	(13)
8. "Rights" of Passage	130	(19)
9. Playing the Global Piano	149	(17)
Epilogue: Memories and Challenges	166	(3)
Notes	169	(16)
Bibliography	185	(10)
Index	195	(16)
About the Author	211