In this episode we speak with historian Charles Romney about his history of labor law research on progressive unions.
In his book "Rights Delayed: The American State and the Defeat of Progressive Unions, 1935-1950" published by Oxford University Press, Romney states, "Progressive unions flourished in the 1930s by working alongside federal agencies created during the New Deal. Yet in 1950, few progressive unions remained. Why?"
In our discussion, Dr. Romney takes us on a journey exploring reasons for this decline.
Charles W. Romney is Professor of History and Graduate Coordinator of the Public History M.A. program at University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He received his doctorate in history from UCLA.
He is currently Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Advanced Research Collaborative, Graduate Center, City University of New York.
The musical interludes in the episode were provided by Spencer Kenney, and archived music from the 1930s. A special thank you to Joseph Fuller of Orchestra of One for the instrumental music, the soundscape design, and the original song "Join a Union."
This episode is dedicated to Daniel Robert Minnick. "Thanks, Pal!"
Generous funding for Arts & Letters Radio was provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and from listeners like you.
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