Overview

The Master of Seventh Avenue is the definitive biography of David Dubinsky (1892—1982), one of the most controversial and influential labor leaders in 20th-century America. A “character” in the truest sense of the word, Dubinsky was both revered and reviled, but never dull, conformist, or bound by convention. A Jewish labor radical, Dubinsky fled czarist Poland in 1910 and began his career as a garment worker and union agitator in New York City. He quickly rose through the ranks of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’Union (ILGWU) and became its president in 1932. Dubinsky led the ILGWU for thirty-four years, where he championed “social unionism,” which offered workers benefits ranging from health care to housing. Moving beyond the realm of the ILGWU, Dubinsky also played a leading role in the American Federation of Labor (AFL), particularly during World War II. A staunch anti-communist, Dubinsky worked tirelessly to rid the American labor movement of communists and fellow-travelers. Robert D. Parmet also chronicles Dubinsky’s influential role in local, national, and international politics. An extraordinary personality whose life and times present a fascinating lens into the American labor movement, Dubinsky leaps off the pages of this meticulously researched and vividly detailed biography.

Full Product Details

9780814770368

Table of Contents

Reviews

Superb...this study is destined to be the authoritative work on Dubinsky's career. Parmet's balanced assessment of his subject, combined with the breadth of his research and the skillful writing, make this an exemplary biography. American Historical Review [Parmet's] biography has put Dubinsky back on the historical map and is a must read for historians. The Journal of American History For four decades, David Dubinsky stood in the top ranks of American labor. As head of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU), he helped organize basic industry and led the fight to provide workers everywhere with decent wages, health care and housing. A leading liberal and anti-communist, a powerful figure in New York politics, and an important player in Cold War foreign policy, Dubinsky sparked fury among his opponents and fierce loyalty among his many supporters. At last this extraordinary figure has a biographer who does him justice. Robert Parmet draws on years of deep research to paint an admiring but not uncritical portrait of Dubinsky in The Master of Seventh Avenue, judiciously taking us through the intricate world of the garment industry and its hothouse politics. Parmet does a great service in bringing back to life this once household name. Joshua B. Freeman, author of Working-Class New York: Life and Labor since World War II Parmet's work will surely have an honored place on the shelves of Cornell University's Kheel Labor Center, as has an earlier work, David Dubinsky: A Life with Labor, co-authored by Dubinsky himself and A.H. Raskin, one of the New York Times's famed labor reporters. The Weekly Standard This volume, which contains an eight-page photo section, will appeal to labor history scholars and biography enthusiasts. CHOICE, recommended,

<p> This volume, which contains an eight-page photo section, will appeal to labor history scholars and biography enthusiasts. <br>- CHOICE , recommended,

Author Information

Robert D. Parmet is professor of history at York College of The City University of New York. He is the author of Labor and Immigration in Industrial America and Town and Gown: The Fight for Social Justice, Urban Rebirth, and Higher Education, and co-author of American Nativism, 1830-1860.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available