Reassembling the UAW: Insurgency, Contention, and the Struggle for Unionism in the American South

Walker, Abe

ISBN 10: 1439926417 / ISBN 13: 9781439926413

Published by Temple University Press, 2026

About this Item

Seller Inventory # 18404135986

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Reassembling the UAW: Insurgency, Contention, and the Struggle for Unionism in the American South
• Publisher: Temple University Press
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1439926417
• ISBN 13: 9781439926413
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

When Volkswagen’s Chattanooga Assembly Plant opened in 2012, the United Auto Workers were excited by the golden opportunity to organize in the anti-union South, where their efforts had been routinely thwarted. However, it took ten years and several attempts before the UAW was successful in unionizing the plant. Reassembling the UAW explains why.

Abe Walker chronicles the organizing campaign from its origin in 2014 to the union’s breakthrough victory in 2024, illustrating what went wrong—and what went right—along the way. Walker provides a systematic analysis of the strategic challenges and tactical shifts, showing the patterns that persisted across three election cycles while highlighting their differences, from global-level alliances to local labor issues.

Reassembling the UAW also demonstrates how rebel rank-and-file workers ousted the old-guard leadership and transformed the UAW into a militant union to achieve results. Ultimately, Walker offers valuable lessons for organizational strategy, the power of collective action, and the future of the labor movement.

About the Author

Abe Walker is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Fayetteville State University.