Labor Lyceum: Insurgent Labor

David Van Deusen is an organizer, unionist and President Emeritus of the Vermont State AFL-CIO. He has recently authored Insurgent Labor.

In his book he charts the rise of the UNITED! slate to create a progressive and militant labor organization. He chronicles the many victories throughout his tenure including expanding union democracy into the rank and file, moving power away from single individuals and into democratic structures, supporting farm workers, supporting Black self-determination, and providing solidarity with the Revolution in Rojava.

The boldest step undertaken by the Vermont AFL-CIO—and marker of years of steady progress in labor organizing and raising of political consciousness in Vermont—was authorizing a call for a general strike throughout Vermont as a possible response to the November 2020 coup threat by then US President Donald Trump.

This book should be of interest to anyone, whether they have merely thought of joining a union or are an old union hand. Most importantly, Insurgent Labor offers a blueprint for militant labor’s advances in an era of capitalist polycrisis and offers hope for a brighter future based around equality, justice, and true democracy.