"With a new Afterword addressing the current state of union and non-union labor, noted labor expert Stanley Aronowitz provides a definitive assessment of the last twenty-five years of labor history. He argues that unions have historically been important defenders of economic justice and that they remain so, especially in today's booming economy. In particular, Aronowitz views the increasing disparity between the very rich and the working poor as evidence of the increasing need for labor's active role in America's economic and social agenda."--BOOK JACKET.