AUSTIN, Texas, July 6, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Strikes are the industrial relations equivalent of warfare. They occur when negotiations between unions and employers fail. Sometimes they are provoked by the arrogance of labor organizations, and sometimes by the strategies of companies that wish to rid themselves of militant unions. When companies seek to rid themselves of unions, strikes are likely to be long, bitter, and destructive of communities, families, and friendships. In his dramatic novel STRIKE Julius Getman tells the story of strike by paper workers fighting to maintain their community and traditional lifestyle.
The strike is provoked by negotiators for Consolidated Paper Company, following the instructions of their new CEO, George Watts. In an effort to destroy the union, Watts demands major concessions and refuses to make reasonable compromises. When the workers predictably go on strike the company hires strikebreakers to permanently take their jobs. The union puts up a much stronger battle than the company expects. It wins the support of a once hostile press, student groups, churches and civil rights activists. It undertakes a campaign of civil disobedience that puts Watts on the defensive even at the Harvard Club. Watts, reluctantly, orders Tom Gilligan (the company's long director of labor relations) to negotiate a settlement with the union.
But as the parties get close to reaching an agreement a violent confrontation between strikers and scabs takes place. Edith Kent, a pregnant replacement worker is killed during the clash. Her death dispirits the strikers, and turns public opinion against the union. The strike is lost. Three union leaders are subsequently tried for conspiracy under the RICO Act. With the strikers' freedom at stake, Gilligan is called to testify. The effect of his testimony will determine whether the strikers remain free or not.
Dramatic and intense, STRIKE reveals the vulnerable state of workers in America today. At the same time it shows how people can grow and change during a crisis. The story is told from the perspective of workers, managers, union officials and strikebreakers. Each has a story to tell and a point of view worthy of respect. Anyone interested in labor relations will find the story compelling. Strike is now available.
"Tom Wolfe's famous call for social realism in American novels has received little response. But now comes STRIKE, a vivid portrayal of the effects of a modern labor dispute on friendships, families, and community life. Julius Getman, with his unique combination of local knowledge and storytelling gifts, brings the story to life with power, nuance and compassion." -- Mary Ann Glendon, Learned Hand Professor of Law, Harvard University
About the Author
The author, Julius Getman, is a professor of labor law at the University of Texas. He taught law at Stanford, Yale, Indiana, and the University of Chicago. Professor Getman is the author of many books, including The Betrayal of Local 14: Paperworkers, Politics and Permanent Replacements (Cornell, 1998), winner of a Hamilton Book Prize, and In the Company of Scholars: The Struggle for the Soul of Higher Education (Texas, 1992), winner of the Violet Crown Award. He was formerly President of the American Association of Law Schools.
STRIKE! by Julius Getman
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