THE STATE OF THE UNIONS

Formerly a union organizer, Paul Jacobs is now on the staff of the Fund for the Republic's Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions. Most of the material in this book first appeared as articles in magazines, particularly in The Reporter. Approximately one-fourth of the contents is devoted to Jimmy Hoffa as a power and as Robert Kennedy's obsession. For Jacobs too, Hoffa is an elusive quality. He assesses the state of certain unions through an examination of some major problems -- union democracy, unemployment, featherbedding, racial discrimination and the inadequacies of collective bargaining. There is an article on the plight of the farm workers and a more celebrated one on David Dubinsky. His analyses are informative and as conscientious as one can be about an increasingly depressing state of affairs. There is not too much of an inspiring nature that can be said although he does think that a split in the AFL-CIO would be revitalizing. Paul Jacobs is a knowledgeable observer and his book will receive a respectful hearing.