Public Workers in Service of America: A Reader

Public employees, from white-collar executives to mail carriers, are an understudied workforce that has been shaped by race, class, and gender. This collection of research explores how these factors have impacted public workers, their workplaces, and their place in American democracy. It also examines race and gender discrimination and the contemporary forms of marginalization that keep Black men and Black and white women underpaid and overlooked for promotion.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 15 August 2023
Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Public employees, ranging from white-collar executives to mail carriers, play a vital role in meeting the needs of the entire nation. To shed light on this understudied workforce, Frederick W. Gooding Jr. and Eric S. Yellin have edited a comprehensive collection of new research. Part One delves into the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, exploring how issues of race, class, and gender shaped public workers, their workplaces, and their position in American democracy. In Part Two, essayists examine the persistence of race and gender discrimination, while also unveiling the subtle contemporary forms of marginalization that perpetuate underpayment and neglect of Black men and Black and white women in terms of promotions. Part Three showcases historic labor actions, highlighting how city employees organized not only for improved pay and working conditions but also to gain recognition from city officials, the public, and the national labor movement. Part Four specifically focuses on nurses and teachers, addressing the contentious question of whether certain groups deserve premium pay for their irreplaceable work and sacrifices or if serving the greater good is a reward in itself.

Contributors to this insightful collection include Eileen Boris, Cathleen D. Cahill, Frederick W. Gooding Jr., William P. Jones, Francis Ryan, Jon Shelton, Joseph E. Slater, Katherine Turk, Eric S. Yellin, and Amy Zanoni. Their contributions provide valuable insights into the experiences and challenges faced by public workers, shedding light on the critical role they play in shaping our society.

Dimension: 229 x 152 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780252087318