Acknowledgements

A book is the result of many people’s contributions. This book was a work in progress for a long time, and I owe a debt of gratitude to those who helped it take shape. I must begin by thanking the members, staff, and elected officials of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401 for opening up their union to me—for allowing me to attend meetings and other events and for agreeing to take part in interviews. For reasons of confidentiality, apart from Doug O’Halloran, Theresa McLaren, and Tom Hesse, I am unable to name the many people who offered their time, energy, and insights, but please know that I am very grateful. I have tried to tell your stories as best I can.

I also wish to thank the many brothers and sisters in the labour movement with whom I have joined in the struggle for workers’ rights over the years. They inspired me, and their example motivated me to study unions and how they operate. Simply put, the better we understand unions, the more effective we will be at defending workers.

Judy Haiven was an early and passionate advocate for this project and guided me through the challenging days of putting it all together in its first form as my dissertation. I recognize how fortunate I was to have a supervisor as caring and committed as Judy. My heartfelt thanks as well to the dedicated group of scholars who appropriately put my ideas through the wringer: Larry Haiven, Val Marie Johnson, Charlotte Yates, and Gregor Murray. I also gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Albert Mills to some of the theoretical underpinnings of the book.

I would be remiss to not mention my colleague, friend, and partner in (academic) crime, Bob Barnetson. Ever the willing sounding board, he helped me process my half-worked-out thoughts and put up with my inevitable complaining about how hard it actually is to write a book. I also thank the editors and staff at AU Press. Thanks to their hard work, this book is much stronger than it would have been in the hands of less committed professionals.

The last word I keep for my family. I have felt their love and support throughout this adventure. It can’t be easy putting up with someone who is intent on producing a book. The dinner conversations hijacked by the need to mull over a new idea. The countless hours holed up in the basement office. I want them to know that their never-ending love and support carried me through this project.