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TROUBLEMAKERS: BUY THIS BOOK!

A Troublemaker’s Handbook 2
Edited by Jane Slaughter
Labor Notes Books, Detroit 2005

By Jeff Ditz

Detroit-based Labor Notes has released A Troublemaker’s Handbook 2 – a momentous event for workers and a renewed nightmare for bosses. Editor Jane Slaughter brings together the work of 72 authors and 250 activists in a densely packed, useful, and readable 372-page book that belongs in the hands of every labor activist in the country.

Topics include everything you might need to know while struggling with the bosses. “Allying with the community,” “Organizing for health and safety,” “Creative tactics,” “Dealing with the media,” and “Welcoming and involving recent immigrants” are just a sample.

The Detroit newspaper “road warriors,” led by then-Teamster organizer Mike Zielinski, came about, we learn, because Zielinski “had been pushing for a union SWAT team that could jump in the car, travel throughout the country and harass the corporations” and that’s what they did. Barb Ingalls, newspaper worker/striker and SEMCOSH member, says it was “like boot camp; we would get up, get dressed, and go yell at corporate bastards.” She found it was fun.

Having fun with struggle is recommended. “Barbecuing the boss has become our favorite pastime,” writes labor cartoonist Mike Konopacki. “Bosses derive their power from fear. When you ridicule the dictator, you diminish his power. In doing so, you – the worker – take on at least a little of the power he’s lost.”

Taking gutsy action that accomplishes what is right is recommended too. Paul Krehbiel, an organizer with SEIU 660 in Los Angeles, describes a situation where management would not fix broken air conditioners during a heat wave.

“One woman took a lead in doing something about the situation. She was someone who had been there for many years, and she was seen as a leader. She had a good idea of what justice is.” She got the workers out of the building and called the union representative. Management followed along making promises and threats. After the workers went to the workplace clinic to report their symptoms, clogged up the hallway and kept their own department shut down, management got it fixed. “The experience was a big boost for us,” says Krehbiel. “It helped us to recruit workers and build the stewards council.”

The SEMCOSH experience in assisting the UAW organizing effort at Mexican Industries is retold in the book. Marisela Garcia says, “One day we stole all the labels from whatever chemicals we were working with and took them to SEMCOSH to find out what the chemicals were. Based on what they told us, we would refuse to work with some of the chemicals.”

“What stands out and underlies the stories,” writes Farm Labor Organizing Committee President Baldemar Velásquez in the foreword, “are the efforts to truly understand what others’ life experiences are and what they think. We are reminded that top leadership cannot become disconnected from the realities of the shop floor and the field.”

A Troublemaker’s Handbook 2 communicates the experiences of hundreds of working class struggles and will help you struggle. Alongside the stories from the front lines are detailed checklists, tips and lists of action questions to guide you. Additional resources are listed for each chapter. The book is well-organized and important. Buy it.

$24 plus $4 shipping. Order from Labor Notes, 7435 Michigan Ave., Detroit, MI 48210. Call 313 842 6262. Fax 313 842 0227. Or buy online at www.labornotes.org.

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