As bureaucratic labor unions are currently under assault throughout the
world, most have surrendered the achievements of the mid-20th century, when
the working class was a militant force for change. As unions implode and
weaken, workers are independently forming their own unions, rooted in the
tradition of syndicalism and autonomismâand unions rooted in the tradition
of self-directed action are auguring a new period of class struggle
throughout the world. In Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe, workers
are rejecting leaders and forming authentic class-struggle unions rooted in
sabotage, direct action, and striking to achieve concrete gains. This is
the first book to compile workers struggles on a global basis, examining
the formation and expansion of radical unions in the Global South and
Global North. The tangible evidence marshaled in this book serves as a
handbook for understanding the formidable obstacles and concrete
opportunities for workers challenging neoliberal capitalism, even as the
unions of the old decline and disappear. Contributors include Au Loong-Yu,
Bai Ruixue, Arup K. Sen, Shawn Hattingh, Piotr Bizyukov and Irina
Olimpieva, Genese M. Sodikoff, Aviva Chomsky, Dario Bursztyn, Gabriel Kuhn,
Erik Forman, Steven Manicastri, and Jack Kirkpatrick.
