Summary

In “Tensions Rising,” the author traces the development of unions in Packingtown, as union leaders John Fitzpatrick and William Z. Foster sought to bring all workers, black or white, together against the bosses like Louis Swift. Prominent figures in Polish, Lithuanian, and black communities, among others, were recruited to appeal to their communities and encourage their laborers to join Local 651, a large union. Judge Samuel Alschuler was appointed to deal with disputes between packers like Swift and the union, issuing an order in 1918 which announced that henceforth, packinghouse workers would get wage increases and be paid for overtime hours. Though this was a victory, immigrants and black workers still distrusted each other, as the strike of 1904 was not yet forgotten. That same summer of 1918, racial tensions resulted in white mob violence and numerous attacks on black family homes.

In “Last...