From the late 1970s through the early 1990s, plant closings, bitter labor disputes, and manufacturing relocations profoundly and often disastrously influenced the lives of individuals, organizations, and municipalities in the Midwest. This volume tells the stories implicit in that process. Beyond documenting the damage that has been done, Grand Designs articulates the conditions under which local labor-community coalitions can win important victories. If they are adequately informed and organized, such coalitions can play a crucial part in revising the terms of the national debate over public policy on labor and economic issues.