On the Global Waterfront: The Fight to Free the Charleston 5

On the Global Waterfront tells the story of longshoremen in Charleston, South Carolina, who-on the verge of a presidential election that would redefine American and global politics-confronted attempts to wipe out their union, the state's most powerful black organization, ILA Local 1422. This compelling narrative of a local struggle, a transformed union leader, and a newly-energized international worker movement highlights the resounding importance of a largely invisible sector of organized labor still powerful enough to stop global commerce on a dime. This is much more than just another labor story. It is a portrait of working people demanding more and better from globalization, which exposes the well-organized religious and corporate powers arrayed against them.

About the Author:
Suzan Erem is a freelance writer and former union organizer

About the Author:
E. Paul Durrenberger is a professor of anthropology at Pennsylvania State University