Contents -- Preface -- Part I: The Early Years of Unionism -- Chapter 1. The First Unions, 1847-1886 -- The Long Depression. 1873-1878 -- The Eight-Hour Explosion of 1886 -- Chapter 2. Labor in the Lumber Industry, 1881-1898 -- Strike in Eau Claire -- Strike Actions in Subsequent Years -- The Oshkosh "Conspiracy" -- The Conspiracy Trial -- Enduring Effects -- Chapter 3. Injunction and Open Shop: Milwaukee and Beloit, 1901-1906 -- The Milwaukee Machinists' Strike -- The Open Shop Drive in Beloit -- The Molders' Strike in Milwaukee -- Chapter 4. A Statewide Labor Movement -- Creation of the Wisconsin State Federation of Labor -- The Socialists Capture the Federation -- Frank Weber: Labor's Grand Old Man -- Victor Berger: A Leader Without Portfolio -- Part II: Unionism Matures -- Chapter 5. Growth of the Wisconsin Labor Movement in the Twentieth Century -- Craft Unionism Before World War I -- Union Growth During and After World War I -- The Effects of the Great Depression -- Wisconsin Labor Under the New Deal: Renewed Militancy -- Wisconsin Labor in World War II and the Postwar Years -- Public Employee Unionism -- Chapter 6. The Wisconsin State CIO -- The CIO Captures the Big Metalworking Plants -- Divisions Within the CIO -- Defeat of the Left Wing -- CIO Growth After World War II -- Other Postwar Strikes Among Wisconsin CIO Unions -- The Impact of the CIO -- Chapter 7. Leadership -- Leadership in the 1920's and 1930's -- The End of Socialist Leadership -- The New Leadership -- The State AFL-CIO, 1966-1983 -- The Wisconsin Labor Movement's Contributions to National Labor Leadership -- Chapter 8. Political Action -- Goals and Strategy -- Workers ' Compensation -- Minimum Wages for Women -- Changes in Political Policy -- The Nation's First Unemployment Compensation Law -- The Farmer-Labor Progressive Federation.

Labor at the Summit: The "Little Wagner Act" -- The Collapse of Labor's Political Power -- McCarthy Defeats La Follette -- A Return to Efective Political Activity -- Chapter 9. Education and Social Issues -- From Labor Colleges to School for Workers -- Women and Wisconsin Labor -- Blacks and the Labor Movement -- Part III: Paper Mill Workers: The Forty-Year Struggle for Unionism -- Chapter 10. The Fight for Saturday Night OE 1900-1905 -- 1902: Victory on the Fox River -- 1902: Defeat on the Wisconsin River -- 1902: Defeat on the Eau Claire River -- Annihilation of the Unions, 1903-1904 -- Chapter 11. The Renewed Struggle for the Eight-Hour Day -- Rhinelander: The First Three-Tour Paper Mill -- The Employers Organize: The Western Paper Manufacturers Association -- The "General" Strike at Marinette -- Chapter 12. The Fight for Union Recognition: 1919-1923 -- Everest and Marathon -- Alexander and Nekoosa-Edwards -- Sensenbrenner and Kimberly-Clark -- Mead and Consolidated: An Employer Accepts Unions -- Wage Cutting: The Depression of 1921-1922 -- Chapter 13. The 1930's: Unionization of Wisconsin's Paper Industry -- Spies -- The Roosevelt Era -- A Mill Council Holds Off Unionism at Kimberly-Clark -- Forty Years of Labor Peace -- Chapter 14. In Retrospect and in Prospect -- Appendix -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.