In early 2011, the nation was stunned to watch Wisconsinsstate capitol in Madison come under sudden and unexpectedoccupation by union members and their allies. The proteststo defend collective bargaining rights were militant and practicallyunheard of in this era of declining union power. Nearlyforty years of neoliberalism and the most severe economiccrisis since the Great Depression have battered the labormovement, and workers have been largely complacent in theface of stagnant wages, slashed benefits and services, wideningunemployment, and growing inequality.

That is, until now. Under pressure from a union-busting governorand his supporters in the legislature, and inspired by themassive uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, workers in Wisconsinshook the nation with their colossal display of solidarity andoutrage. Their struggle is still ongoing, but there are lessonsto be learned from the Wisconsin revolt. This timely bookbrings together some of the best labor journalists and scholarsin the United States, many of whom were on the groundat the time, to examine the causes and impact of events, andsuggest how the labor movement might proceed in this newera of union militancy.