Dockworkers have power. Often missed in commentary on today's
globalizing economy, workers in the world's ports can harness their
role, at a strategic choke point, to promote their labor rights and
social justice causes. Peter Cole brings such overlooked experiences
to light in an eye-opening comparative study of Durban, South Africa,
and the San Francisco Bay Area, California. Path-breaking research
reveals how unions effected lasting change in some of the most
far-reaching struggles of modern times. First, dockworkers in each
city drew on longstanding radical traditions to promote racial
equality. Second, they persevered when a new technology--container
ships--sent a shockwave of layoffs through the industry. Finally,
their commitment to black internationalism and leftist politics
sparked transnational work stoppages to protest apartheid and
authoritarianism. Dockworker Power not only brings to light
surprising parallels in the experiences of dockers half a world away
from each other. It also offers a new perspective on how workers can
change their conditions and world.