Review

Living and Dying in the Institute for Anarchist Studies

Institute for Anarchist Studies
June 2019

In May the IAS collaborated with the Burgerville Workers Union (BVWU) to host labor activist and author David Ranney and members of the BVWU in Portland, OR, for a public discussion on radical worker power and lessons learned in the labor movement.   Ranney recently published a memoir, Living and Dying on the Factory Floor, describing his work experiences in the factories of Chicago and Indiana. Along the way there is a wildcat strike, an immigration raid, shop floor actions, and a failed effort to unionize. The book focuses on race and class relations, working conditions, environmental issues, and broader social issues that impacted work. Living and Dying  concludes with discussions on the nature of work; racism and class; the use of immigration policy for social control; and our ability to create a just society. BVWU, the first federally recognized fast food workers union, has successfully rallied supporters in the region to boycott Burgerville for their poverty wages, illegal union busting, and has strengthened the movement for worker power.  Living and Dying on the Factory Floor is published by our friends at PM Press. You can support the Burgerville Workers Union in their fight for a fair contract by donating to their Bargaining Stipend Fund here. 

Back to David Ranney’s Author Page