Death of a local

Milwaukee historian John Gurda has penned an excellent and provocative piece published here. Gurda notes the demise of Local 1111 of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers. At one time it represented 7,000 plus production and maintenance employees of the Allen-Bradley Company, now Rockwell International. The opinion piece traces the history of labor relations at the company and the fact that the last union workers at the Milwaukee facility have been replaced by contract workers. In so doing, Gurda traces the decline of unions and America's manufacturing and without typical vitriol explores cause, effect and the future of this country's middle class. This will be "must reading" for the labor law class.