"A sociologist blends history, interviews, and analysis into the best description and appraisal yet written about the strengths, traditions and problems of the ILWU on the waterfront since the 1930s." Dispatcher

• Preface; Notes on unpublished sources; Part I. Labour Radicalism Revisited: 1. Unsettling old scores: labour radicalism encounters conventional wisdom; 2. Sealing the fate of radical labour theoretically; 3. A framework for American unionism; Part II. Local Community and 'Tumultuous' Democracy: the Socio-Cultural Foundations of Unionism on the San Francisco Waterfront: 4. Political community on the San Francisco waterfront; 5. The structure of participationist politics; 6. Being political in Local 10; Part III. Unionism, Work and Technological Change: 7. Work, knowledge and control: conventional longshoring; 8. Work, knowledge and control: containerised longshoring; 9. 'Doing the right thing': working principles and codes of conduct; Part IV. Waging the Battle for Workplace Control on Contractual Terrain: 10. Who decides how to work?; 11. Which side's language shall govern?; 12. By whose principles will merit be rewarded?; Part V. Agreeing to Disagree: Being Defensibly Disobedient: 13. Translating troubles into grievable issues; 14. 'We essentially have no contract with you': keeping the agreement; 15. Constructing and maintaining the appearance of co-operation; Conclusion: Trade union exceptionalism or prefigurative politics?; Appendix: doing field research - an ethnographic account; References; Name index; Subject index.