Harry Van Arsdale (1905-1986) was a towering figure in the New York labor scene. After being initiated into the Local 3 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in 1925 and becoming its business manager in 1933, Van Arsdale turned the then corrupt and disorganized union into a force to be reckoned with. He became president of the New York City Central Labor Council in 1957, which put him in a position to become a greater influence for labor relations locally and nationally. As business manager and president of these organizations, Van Arsdale advocated and won shorter work days, in order to give more men a chance to work - especially important in the 1930s. He instituted paid vacation, paid holidays, annuity plans, and educational opportunities for union workers - novelties at that time - as well as scholarships for workers' children. His sincere commitment to improving the lives of American workers and their families made him a truly beloved figure. This fascinating memoir traces Van Arsdale's sixty-plus years as a union member and powerful labor figure, and provides colorful details of his many remarkable accomplishments.

In Live Wire, Francine Moccio brings to life forty years of public policy reform and advocacy that have failed to eliminate restricted opportunities for women in highly paid, skilled blue-collar jobs. Breaking barriers into a male-only occupation and trade, women electricians have found career opportunities in nontraditional work. Yet their efforts to achieve gender equality have also collided with the prejudice and fraternal values of brotherhood and factors that have ultimately derailed women's full inclusion. By drawing instructive comparisons of women’s entrance into the electricians’ trade and its union with those of black and other minority men, Moccio’s in-depth case study brings new insights into the ways in which divisions at work along the lines of race, gender, and economic background enhance and/or inhibit inclusion. Incorporating research based on extensive primary, secondary, and archival resources, Live Wire contributes a much-needed examination of how sex segregation is reproduced in blue-collar occupations, while also scrutinizing the complex interactions of work, unions, leisure, and family life.

Volume contains: (Ronnie Inc against John J. McCloskey et al) (Ronnie Inc against John J. McCloskey et al) (Ronnie Inc against John J. McCloskey et al) (Ronnie Inc against John J. McCloskey et al) (Hyman Rosen against Louis Cooper & Louis Ragers) (Louis Rubenstein against Philip Morris Dress Mfg Co Inc) (Louis Rubenstein against Philip Morris Dress Mfg Co Inc) (Anna A. Safford against Ethel F Costuma) (Anna A. Safford against Ethel F Costuma) (Olive Brown Seaman v Philip Seaman judicial settlement) (Olive Brown Seaman v Philip Seaman judicial settlement) (Olive Brown Seaman v Philip Seaman judicial settlement) (Olive Brown Seaman v Philip Seaman judicial settlement) (Harry A. Sharpe against Samuel S. Heinowitz) (Harry A. Sharpe against Samuel S. Heinowitz) (John Smith against Dept of Health of the City of NY & Bureau of Records & Stats) (John Smith against Dept of Health of the City of NY & Bureau of Records & Stats) (John Smith against Dept of Health of the City of NY & Bureau of Records & Stats) (Ernst Gehben against Irving A. Blum) (Ernst Gehben against Irving A. Blum) (Paul Stockhammer against Hon. Felix C. Benvenga) (Paul Stockhammer against Hon. Felix C. Benvenga) (Florence Treitler against Burr Printing House & Ins Carrier) (Unviersal Oil Products Co against Shell Development Co et al & Texaco Development Corp et al) (Unviersal Oil Products Co against Shell Development Co et al & Texaco Development Corp et al) (Harry Van Arsdale Jr against Albert J. Fitzgerald & Julius Emspak et al) (Wilson & Co Inc against City of NY) (Wilson & Co Inc against City of NY) (Conrad Wojtkowlak; obtain an order) (Conrad Wojtkowlak; obtain an order) (Conrad Wojtkowlak; obtain an order) (Emma Wolozin against Herbert Wolozin et al ) (Emma Wolozin against Herbert Wolozin et al ) (Emma Wolozin against Herbert Wolozin et al ) (Thos. Wolstenholme Co against Ria Herlinger Fabrics Inc) (Thos. Wolstenholme Co against Ria Herlinger Fabrics Inc)