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January 14, 2010 | |
9780801893575 | |
English | |
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January 14, 2010 | |
9780801898655 | |
9780801893575 | |
English | |
304 | |
125800 | |
24 | |
9.00 Inches (US) | |
6.00 Inches (US) | |
$62.00 USD, £51.50 GBP | |
v2.1 Reference | |
Vegas at Odds
Labor Conflict in a Leisure Economy, 1960–1985
The stories of the shadowy networks and wealthy people who bankrolled and sustained Las Vegas's continuous reinvention are well documented in works of scholarship, journalism, and popular culture. Yet no one has studied closely and over a long period of time the dynamics of the workforce—the casino and hotel workers and their relations with the companies they work for and occasionally strike against. James P. Kraft here explores the rise and changing fortunes of organized and unorganized labor as Las Vegas evolved from a small, somewhat seedy desert oasis into the glitzy tourist destination that it is today.
Drawing on scores of interviews, personal and published accounts, and public records, Kraft brings to life the largely behind-the-scenes battles over control of Sin City workplaces between 1960 and 1985. He examines successful and failed organizing drives, struggles over pay and equal rights, and worker grievances and arbitration to show how the resort industry’s evolution affected hotel and casino workers. From changes in the political and economic climate to large-scale strikes, backroom negotiations, and individual worker-supervisor confrontations, Kraft explains how Vegas's overwhelmingly service-oriented economy works—and doesn't work—for the people and companies who cater to the city's pleasure-seeking visitors.
American historians and anyone interested in the history of labor or Las Vegas will find this account highly original, insightful, and even-handed.
About the Author
James P. Kraft is professor of history at the University of Hawai'i at Mânoa. He is also the author of Stage to Studio: Musicians and the Sound Revolution, 1890–1950 and Havoc and Reform: Workplace Disasters in Modern America, both published by Johns Hopkins.
Reviews
"In this fast-paced combination of labor and business history (which also includes a mysterious murder), Kraft argues that organized labor in Las Vegas became more, not less, forceful after the mid-1960s, even as union power in other areas was declining."
"While other books have delved into the experiences of Las Vegas workers, this is the first exclusively to explore their relationship with management over an extended period of time."
"Vegas at Odds is a story specific to Las Vegas but relevant to the broader discussions of economic transitions and labor-management relations."
"Putting us right in the thick of the labour movement, Kraft's Vegas at Odds expertly summarizes the changes in Vegas over the past 30 years. In the book, Kraft charts the rise of the everyday 'worker', but more specifically the role of the powerful unions, in Sin City from 1960 to 1985."
"This work is a welcome addition to the field of labor relations and labor history... Highly recommended."
"This book would appeal to anyone interested in the history of Las Vegas, labor relations, organized labor, or knowing more about the worker struggles that took place behind the neon lights."
Johns Hopkins University Press | |
Studies in Industry and Society | |
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From 17 | |
Hardback | |
January 14, 2010 | |
9780801893575 | |
English | |
304 | |
125800 | |
24 | |
9.00 Inches (US) | |
6.00 Inches (US) | |
0.99 Inches (US) | |
1.2 Pounds (US) | |
$62.00 USD, £51.50 GBP | |
v2.1 Reference | |
Electronic book text | |
January 14, 2010 | |
9780801898655 | |
9780801893575 | |
English | |
304 | |
125800 | |
24 | |
9.00 Inches (US) | |
6.00 Inches (US) | |
$62.00 USD, £51.50 GBP | |
v2.1 Reference | |
Other Titles by James P. Kraft
Havoc and Reform
Stage to Studio
Other Titles from Studies in Industry and Society
Imagining Consumers
Ships for the Seven Seas
Advertising Progress
Other Titles in HISTORY / United States / State & Local / West (AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, UT, WY)
Black Diamonds from the Treasure State
Movie-Made Los Angeles
Tengautuli Atkuk / The Flying Parka
Other Titles in History of the Americas
Vicious and Immoral
Spanning the Gilded Age
Longing for Connection