Fight or Be Slaves

The Oakland-East Bay labor movement has been overshadowed for far too long by attention to San Francisco. The East Bay has a rich, militant and surprisingly independent history. Fight or Be Slaves, the title taken from a statement by C.L. Dellums, Oakland's Vice President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, sets East Bay history in context of national events using extensive primary and secondary sources. Struggles against union-busting and concessions take the story to the present time, when hundreds of East Bay unionists went to Seattle to protest against the World Trade Organization. Sensitive to issues of class, race, and gender, Fight or Be Slaves is filled with vignettes that bring to life the story of workers in struggle.