A Matter of Moral Justice: Black Women Laundry Workers and the Fight for Justice

In the 1930s, Charlotte Adelmond and Dollie Robinson worked in New York's power laundry industry, facing substandard working conditions, racial and gender discrimination, and poor pay. They helped unionize the city's laundry workers, but an affiliation with the powerful Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) transformed the union into a bureaucratic organization led by men. This local struggle highlighted how race and gender shaped worker conditions, labor organizing, and union politics across the country in the twentieth century.

Format: Hardback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 13 July 2021
Publisher: University of Illinois Press

In the 1930s, Charlotte Adelmond and Dollie Robinson, like countless African American women, toiled in New York's power laundry industry. Jenny Carson narrates the tale of how deplorable working conditions, racial and gender discrimination, and low pay propelled them to spearhead a unionization drive for the city's laundry workers. Laundry work provided a gateway for African American women to foray into the industry, and their numbers enabled women like Adelmond and Robinson to become leaders in a successful unionization campaign. However, their affiliation with the influential Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) transformed the union from a radical, community-based institution into a bureaucratic organization dominated by men. This affiliation also initiated a challenging struggle to secure economic and social justice for the predominantly women and people of color in the plants. As Carson demonstrates, this local struggle shed light on how race and gender shaped worker conditions, labor organizing, and union politics throughout the country in the twentieth century.

A Matter of Moral Justice is a meticulously researched and captivating work that delves into the roles of African American and radical women activists and their clashes with labor organizing and union politics. It explores the complexities of race, gender, and labor dynamics, shedding light on the struggles and triumphs of these marginalized groups in their pursuit of justice and equality. Through a rich narrative and detailed analysis, the book offers a valuable contribution to the understanding of labor history and social movements. It serves as a reminder of the ongoing importance of fighting for workers' rights and dignity and the significance of intersectionality in achieving social change.

Dimension: 235 x 156 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780252043901