What does it take to build a fighting union—and what does it take to destroy one?
Historian Roger Keeran returns to Coming From Left Field to discuss Stephen Meyer’s “Stalin Over Wisconsin: The Making & Unmaking of Militant Unionism, 1900–1950.” Keeran wrote the new foreword to this rediscovered labor history, which follows the rise and dismantling of militant unionism at the Allis-Chalmers manufacturing plant outside Milwaukee.
At the heart of the story is United Auto Workers Local 248 and its founding president, Harold Christoffel. Through shop-floor organizing, political education, social activities, and a commitment to defending workers’ rights, the local became more than a bargaining organization: it became a community. Its leaders understood that solidarity had to be built every day—and that fighting for women and Black workers strengthened the entire union.
That solidarity faced an extraordinary test during the eleven-month strike of 1946–47. Workers confronted not only a determined employer, but also hostile newspaper coverage, congressional investigations, relentless red-baiting, and opposition from leaders within organized labor. Keeran examines how these forces converged against Local 248, why members continued to support their union, and how Christoffel ultimately became a target of prosecution and imprisonment.
About Roger Keeran
Roger Keeran is a historian and emeritus professor at SUNY Empire State University whose work examines American labor, Communist organizing, and socialist history. His teaching career included Cornell, Princeton, and Rutgers. He is the author of “The Communist Party and the Auto Workers’ Unions” and coauthor, with Thomas Kenny, of “Socialism Betrayed: Behind the Collapse of the Soviet Union.” His new foreword to Meyer’s “Stalin Over Wisconsin” draws on decades of research into the relationship between radical politics and working-class organization.
Resources:
Order the book: https://www.intpubnyc.com/browse/stalin-over-wisconsin/
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Keeran
Greg’s Substack: https://substack.com/@greggodels929536
Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/
#RogerKeeran#StalinOverWisconsin#StephenMeyer#laborhistory#AllisChalmers#UAWLocal248#HaroldChristoffel#militantunionism#industrialunionism#unionorganizing#workersolidarity#collectivebargaining#classstruggle#CommunistPartyUSA#red-baiting#anticommunism#McCarthyism#WalterReuther#Wisconsinlaborhistory#InternationalPublishers#PatCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#zzblog#mltoday
