Beaten Down, Worked Up

The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor

By: Steven Greenhouse

Narrated by: Fred Sanders

“A page-turning book that spans a century of worker strikes.... Engrossing, character-driven, panoramic.” —The New York Times Book Review

We live in an era of soaring corporate profits and anemic wage gains, one in which low-paid jobs and blighted blue-collar communities have become a common feature of our nation’s landscape. Behind these trends lies a little-discussed problem: the decades-long decline in worker power.

Award-winning journalist and author Steven Greenhouse guides us through the key episodes and trends in history that are essential to understanding some of our nation’s most pressing problems, including increased income inequality, declining social mobility, and the concentration of political power in the hands of the wealthy few. He exposes the modern labor landscape with the stories of dozens of American workers, from GM employees to Uber drivers to underpaid schoolteachers. Their fight to take power back is crucial for America’s future, and Greenhouse proposes concrete, feasible ways in which workers’ collective power can be—and is being—rekindled and reimagined in the twenty-first century.

Beaten Down, Worked Up is a stirring and essential look at labor in America, poised as it is between the tumultuous struggles of the past and the vital, hopeful struggles ahead.

A PBS NewsHour Now Read This Book Club Pick

Primer for Unionism and Worker Struggles

Greenhouse, the former labor reporter for the New York Times, weaves in personal stories to tell a brief history of unions and the struggle for worker rights in America. His book is a recommended read for anyone looking to have a greater understanding of the current state of unions and ideas on how they can rebuild power for worker and civil rights.

great book

very informative. inspiring stories for the labor movement. we need this now more than ever

Expertly Written and Conceptualized

The author provides first the groundwork for many of the labor battles from history that come to define today’s state of affairs within workers rights

There is a lot to taken away here and I suggest it highly

A well-documented history and thoughtful vision for the future

I have studied Labor for years and still learned from this text. I look forward to discussing this with my union book club!

Extensive reporting on workers rights

This book is an extensive reporting g on the history of worked rights. A must read for all workers to ensure they appreciate their rights and responsibility for maintaining these hard fought and important rights. We need many voices at the table .