The Labor Movement in Wisconsin

We're in the process of updating our website! Learn more about what that means and how you can help create history..

A History

Robert W. Ozanne

A comprehensive account of Wisconsin’s trailblazing actions and policies in advancing organized labor and workers rights, from its early roots through the twentieth century.

304 pages, 6 x 9, 37 b&w photos
Paperback: $40.00 | ISBN: 978-0-87020-495-1
Ebook: $15.99 | ISBN: 978-0-87020-571-2
Publication Date: 5/5/2011

BUY

-

Front cover of The Labor Movement in Wisconsin

Description

The history of the labor movement in Wisconsin is both a yardstick and a barometer of the growth and development of a progressive state. Wisconsin’s workers and their leaders have always been in the vanguard of those concerned with social justice, fair labor practices, humane working conditions, and political equality. Their courage and convictions, tested and ultimately upheld during decades of strife with corporate leaders and conservative legislators, paved the way for today’s safer workplace, equitable wages, and generous benefits. The Labor Movement in Wisconsin provides a broad overview of an important chapter in state and national history.

Based on years of research in newspapers, manuscripts, and the archives of both labor and management, author Robert Ozanne also examines the impact of the Great Depression, two World Wars, and the postwar economy on union strength and strategy. The book focuses on Wisconsin’s trailblazing policies, such as workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance, which became models for the nation. It also highlights the tension between labor and management, especially in manufacturing and public employment, illustrating how strikes, union drives, and political action shaped workers’ rights. He discusses how labor’s alliance with the Progressive and later Democratic parties bolstered its influence in state politics. Through archival research and case studies, Ozanne emphasizes the importance of solidarity and adaptation in labor’s survival. Ultimately, the book presents Wisconsin as a microcosm of American labor history—marked by struggle, innovation, and resilience.

Author Bio

Robert W. Ozanne

Robert W. Ozanne was a distinguished professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he taught American labor history for over twenty-five years. He began his academic career in 1949 at the university’s School for Workers, engaging directly with Wisconsin’s labor force to inform his scholarship. Ozanne authored several influential works, including The Labor Movement in Wisconsin: A History, A Century of Labor-Management Relations at McCormick and International Harvester, and Wages in Practice and Theory, the latter two earning recognition from the Thomas Newcomen Society for their contributions to business history. His writings remain essential for understanding the development of labor relations and the labor movement in Wisconsin and the broader United States.

All those who desire to know how the labor movement in Wisconsin grew and changed will find [Ozanne’s] history an indispensable reference.

Melvyn Dubofsky

State University of New York at Binghamton

“The reissuance of the book now makes for an excellent reminder of the role labor played in the evolution of Wisconsin government, and it underscores the many contributions that labor made to the building of America’s middle class, benefiting not just union members, but all workers.”

—Dave Zweifel, The Capital Times