Review
------
"Bonacich and Wilson present a richly detailed and highly
interesting portrait of the global logistics industry. This study
will provide a firm foundation on which to build future social
scientific research."--Matt Vidal, Work and Occupations
"A stunning, behind-the-scenes account of the largely invisible
workers who make our big-box, just-in-time world possible."--Mike
Davis, author of Planet of Slums
"In Getting the Goods, E Bonacich and Jake B. Wilson analyze a
weak spot in global capitalism, a fragile point that organizers
might target in order to redress the shortcomings of this
economic system; but this political agenda is briefly described
and the authors' tone objective. This book also contains a wealth
of information about container ports, sea carriers, land
carriers, and warehouses. The reader can feel the pulse of each
type of activity, feel as if he or she is with the authors as
they talk to the key people involved; the interviews in Getting
the Goods are first rate, vivid, and alive."--Gary G. Hamilton,
University of Washington
"If labor organizers ever want to have a at organizing the
retail behemoth Wal-Mart, they must understand that the company's
business plan is fundamentally a logistics model that relies
heavily on maritime imports from the Pacific Rim. Bonacich and
Wilson in Getting the Goods give us a bird's eye view of the
multi-modal logistics system in the largest ports in the United
States: Long Beach and Los Angeles. They paint a living picture
of the supply chain that is a must read for those on the ground
thinking about organizing the workers in the giant retailers
whose lifeblood is the importation of millions of containers
through America's largest ports. I'll be mandating that every
ILWU organizer read this important book!"--Peter Olney, Director
of Organizing, International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU)
"In this fascinating book, E Bonacich and Jake Wilson take us
inside the nation's largest port to expose the inner workings of
the retailer-driven global supply chains that are increasingly
vital to today's import-dependent U.S. economy. Their richly
detailed analysis of the logistics revolution's effects on
labor-from poorly paid immigrant port truckers engaged in an
uphill organizing battle to the labor aristocracy of
long-unionized longshore workers-bristles with in. Getting
the Goods is a great read, provocative, and surprisingly
optimistic."--Ruth Milkman, UCLA, author of L.A. Story: Immigrant
Workers and the Future of the U.S. Labor Movement
"E Bonacich and Jake Wilson have produced a powerful
examination of the logistics revolution and its implication for
workers. This book should be a vital instrument in the
development of strategy for increasing the power of workers in
this globalized world. Rather than treating workers as powerless
victims of globalization, Bonacich and Wilson illustrate how
workers can capitalize on their strengths and position in the
transportation and retail industries to counter the 'race to the
bottom' workers across the planet have been experiencing. This
book is a must read for all labor activists, whether in unions,
worker centers, or other independent working-class
organizations."--Bill Fletcher, Jr., Co-Founder, Center for Labor
Renewal and syndicated columnist
Review
------
"Bonacich and Wilson present a richly detailed and highly
interesting portrait of the global logistics industry. This study
will provide a firm foundation on which to build future social
scientific research."―Matt Vidal, Work and Occupations
"A stunning, behind-the-scenes account of the largely invisible
workers who make our big-box, just-in-time world possible."―Mike
Davis, author of Planet of Slums
"In Getting the Goods, E Bonacich and Jake B. Wilson analyze a
weak spot in global capitalism, a fragile point that organizers
might target in order to redress the shortcomings of this
economic system; but this political agenda is briefly described
and the authors' tone objective. This book also contains a wealth
of information about container ports, sea carriers, land
carriers, and warehouses. The reader can feel the pulse of each
type of activity, feel as if he or she is with the authors as
they talk to the key people involved; the interviews in Getting
the Goods are first rate, vivid, and alive."―Gary G. Hamilton,
University of Washington
"If labor organizers ever want to have a at organizing the
retail behemoth Wal-Mart, they must understand that the company's
business plan is fundamentally a logistics model that relies
heavily on maritime imports from the Pacific Rim. Bonacich and
Wilson in Getting the Goods give us a bird's eye view of the
multi-modal logistics system in the largest ports in the United
States: Long Beach and Los Angeles. They paint a living picture
of the supply chain that is a must read for those on the ground
thinking about organizing the workers in the giant retailers
whose lifeblood is the importation of millions of containers
through America's largest ports. I'll be mandating that every
ILWU organizer read this important book!"―Peter Olney, Director
of Organizing, International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU)
"In this fascinating book, E Bonacich and Jake Wilson take us
inside the nation's largest port to expose the inner workings of
the retailer-driven global supply chains that are increasingly
vital to today's import-dependent U.S. economy. Their richly
detailed analysis of the logistics revolution's effects on
labor-from poorly paid immigrant port truckers engaged in an
uphill organizing battle to the labor aristocracy of
long-unionized longshore workers-bristles with in. Getting
the Goods is a great read, provocative, and surprisingly
optimistic."―Ruth Milkman, UCLA, author of L.A. Story: Immigrant
Workers and the Future of the U.S. Labor Movement
"E Bonacich and Jake Wilson have produced a powerful
examination of the logistics revolution and its implication for
workers. This book should be a vital instrument in the
development of strategy for increasing the power of workers in
this globalized world. Rather than treating workers as powerless
victims of globalization, Bonacich and Wilson illustrate how
workers can capitalize on their strengths and position in the
transportation and retail industries to counter the 'race to the
bottom' workers across the planet have been experiencing. This
book is a must read for all labor activists, whether in unions,
worker centers, or other independent working-class
organizations."―Bill Fletcher, Jr., Co-Founder, Center for Labor
Renewal and syndicated columnist