Gregor Gall
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781526100290
- eISBN:
- 9781526124173
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9781526100290.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, UK Politics
Bob Crow was not only the most well-known union leader of his generation but also the most militant. This biography examines his leadership of the RMT union, examining and exposing a number of ...
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Bob Crow was not only the most well-known union leader of his generation but also the most militant. This biography examines his leadership of the RMT union, examining and exposing a number of popular myths created about him by political opponents. Using the schema of his personal characteristics (including his public persona), his politics and the power of his members, it explains how and why he was able to punch above his weight in industrial relations and on the political stage, helping the small RMT union become as influential as many of its much larger counterparts.
Deploying an array of source materials and a sympathetic but critical approach, the biography traces Crow’s industrial and political development from a working-class London family, with an influential communist father and early epiphany about unions, to his rise to national prominence within the RMT. His own membership of two particular far-left political parties did not prevent him becoming the undisputed leader of the left within the RMT. This was attributable to his forceful and larger-than-life personality.Less
Bob Crow was not only the most well-known union leader of his generation but also the most militant. This biography examines his leadership of the RMT union, examining and exposing a number of popular myths created about him by political opponents. Using the schema of his personal characteristics (including his public persona), his politics and the power of his members, it explains how and why he was able to punch above his weight in industrial relations and on the political stage, helping the small RMT union become as influential as many of its much larger counterparts.
Deploying an array of source materials and a sympathetic but critical approach, the biography traces Crow’s industrial and political development from a working-class London family, with an influential communist father and early epiphany about unions, to his rise to national prominence within the RMT. His own membership of two particular far-left political parties did not prevent him becoming the undisputed leader of the left within the RMT. This was attributable to his forceful and larger-than-life personality.
Sharon McConnell-Sidorick
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781469632957
- eISBN:
- 9781469632971
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469632957.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter discusses the early hosiery union and the major strikes of 1919 and 1921 that served to bring two factions of the union together into a united organization within the American Federation ...
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This chapter discusses the early hosiery union and the major strikes of 1919 and 1921 that served to bring two factions of the union together into a united organization within the American Federation of Labor. It looks at the product, the industry expansion, the establishment of a "fighting" treasury and examples of the union's efforts to support the broader labor movement. The chapter also introduces some important union leaders and the organizing campaigns in the South and Midwest, as part of the "follow the shops" movement.Less
This chapter discusses the early hosiery union and the major strikes of 1919 and 1921 that served to bring two factions of the union together into a united organization within the American Federation of Labor. It looks at the product, the industry expansion, the establishment of a "fighting" treasury and examples of the union's efforts to support the broader labor movement. The chapter also introduces some important union leaders and the organizing campaigns in the South and Midwest, as part of the "follow the shops" movement.
Gregor Gall
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781526100290
- eISBN:
- 9781526124173
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9781526100290.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, UK Politics
Establishes the case for examining Crow as a significant figure and leader in industrial relations, union and political scenes. This is done through the schema of a) the person, b) the politics, and ...
More
Establishes the case for examining Crow as a significant figure and leader in industrial relations, union and political scenes. This is done through the schema of a) the person, b) the politics, and c) the potential power of RMT members, and defining what the functions of leadership are and what is required to carry them out. The introduction outlines the methodology deployed and the intellectual approach taken. It also sets out context for analysing Crow in terms of the specificity of RMT and the rail industry. Finally, it provides outline of following chapters.Less
Establishes the case for examining Crow as a significant figure and leader in industrial relations, union and political scenes. This is done through the schema of a) the person, b) the politics, and c) the potential power of RMT members, and defining what the functions of leadership are and what is required to carry them out. The introduction outlines the methodology deployed and the intellectual approach taken. It also sets out context for analysing Crow in terms of the specificity of RMT and the rail industry. Finally, it provides outline of following chapters.
