



by John Steuben is the first book of its kind and perhaps one of the most important yet written for the members and leaders of America's unions, as well as for all students of the labor movement. Mr. Steuben has had a long and rugged experience in organized labor and is a leader noted throughout the country for his courage and skill. Out of that rich experience, he has produced this book which is both strike history and strike manual.Firstly Mr. Steuben believes that the strike is an integral part of American life, that in the struggle for a decent, secure life it is labor's necessary weapon. He believes further that, as a powerful economic necessity which is done at all must be done very well the strike may in its conception and conduct approach the accuracy of science. The first step in its efficient conduct is an understanding of all that has gone before, the nature of past strike history, its failures, its victories, and the reasons for both. The beginning of the book, therefore, consists of a brief dramatic history of strikes from 1776 to the present. Then, after examining the relationship of strikes to national and local politics, Mr. Steuben explains that in most major strikes employers have used methods of actual warfare against John Steuben and have been active in the labor movement since his early youth.He was first a machinist who came to understand the problems of workers as a worker himself and later, in 1936, was a member of the original staff of the CIO Steel Workers Organizing Committee. It was the gigantic task of this committee to organize the tens of thousands of steelworkers in the Mahoning Valley, one of the largest steel-producing centers in the world.During this period he came to be "regarded by his fellows," as the New Republic said, "as one of the ablest and most conscientious field workers for the CIO." In 1987 John Steuben s superb qualities as a leader brought him into national prominence in the now-famous "Little Steer strike in which he was an important factor in leading the workers in that conflict which eventually resulted in victory against Tom Girdler, head of Republic Steel. Mr. Steuben is also the author of the book Labor in Wartime, an analysis of labor relations during World War I. He is at present Secretary-Treasurer of the New York Hotel Front Service Employees Union, AFL.