Our Members Be Unlimited
a comic about workers and their unions
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- £11.99
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- £11.99
Publisher Description
An original and visually powerful exploration of unionism.
In our current political climate, people are looking for answers — and alternatives. The promise of unions is that their ‘members be unlimited’: that they don’t belong to the rich, the powerful, or special interests, but to all workers.
How did the idea of unionism arise? Where has it flourished? And what are its challenges in the 21st century? From Britain to Bangladesh, from the first union of the 18th century to today, from solidarity in Walmart China to his own experiences in an Amazon warehouse in Melbourne, comics journalist Sam Wallman explores the urge to come together and cooperate that arises again and again in workers and workplaces everywhere.
With a dynamic and distinctive art style, and writing that’s both thoughtful and down to earth, Our Members Be Unlimited serves as an entry point for young people or those new to these notions of collective action, but also as an invigorating read to those already engaged in the struggle for better working conditions — and a better world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Activist and comics journalist Wallman debuts with a convincing, transfixing graphic history of the impact and future potential of unions. He opens by sharing his personal experience as an Amazon warehouse worker, where he made meaningful bonds with his coworkers amid the brutal, highly regulated confines of the job and attempted to bring others on board with the idea of unionizing. The narrative moves on to document historical and recent strikes and other labor actions, including the 1941 Disney animators strike, the 1975 Iceland women's "day off," and the 2013 Bangladeshi garment industry demonstrations. A lengthy debate between an abstracted human-figure and an anthropomorphized bull volleys through drawbacks and benefits of unions. "We've probably never been this alone, in a time when coming together couldn't be more important," opens the pro-union figure. Wallman also tackles concerns about automation: "We often forget that those who write the robots' code... are workers." His updated agitprop style, which recalls Peter Kuper, mixes panels and double-page spreads in bright colors with cartoonish figures. Characters rip through pages, backgrounds and symbols morph, and scenes spool in cinematic/flip-book style. The pages are jam-packed with info, and some academic arguments, yet the engaging layouts avoid anything remotely like a lecture—it's more an extended and annotated rallying cry. This is a dynamic, persuasive look at labor power.
Customer Reviews
Must read
A beautiful and inspiring book which will inform both those who know nothing about unions, and those with years of experience. I found it fascinating as both an inside look at amazon, and how its monster sized delivery system works, as well as the author’s role in trying to set up a union in there. It’s also a fascinating look at the history of the working class!
Sam is a vital, upcoming voice in graphic novels and if you like Chris Ware, Joe Sacco, Jeffrey Brown, Marjane Satrapi, or the graphic novel “hypercapitalism” you will find something to love here!