What Every Unionist Should Know

What Every Unionist Should Know

This is a tainted review. For one thing, I’ve known H. W. Benson for many years; we have long been colleagues in the same movements and causes. Benson is, to put it plainly, a “nut” about democracy who had the imagination and persistence to do something about it in a specific way. A skilled machinist and formerly an auto worker in Detroit, he now is executive director of the Association for Union Democracy. Some 20 years ago, with a few meager contributions from friends, well-wishers, and some unionists who needed help, he launched a small periodical, Union Democracy in Action, which was later replaced by the Union Democracy Review. In these pages, Benson has exposed corruption, especially as it deprived union members of their rights, investigated the behavior and responsibilities of the Labor Department and the National Labor Relations Board, and generally irritated union autocrats. Most of all, he has explained what union members could do to organize for democratic reform, especially in forcing uncontaminated elections to choose leaders who are responsive to the rank and file.

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