Marching with Dr. King

Ralph Helstein and the United Packinghouse Workers of America

Cyril Robinson

• Publisher: Praeger
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN:
  9780313384189
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9780313384196
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: 20th Century History
• Index: Politics & International Relations

This book shows how a Jewish lawyer utilized his philosophy of prophetic Judaism (a belief in social justice) and his training as a lawyer to become the head of a trade union that formulated policies embodying these social beliefs, bringing many benefits to its members.

In 1946, Ralph Helstein was the general counsel for the United Packinghouse Workers Union (UPWA), which had become a predominantly black worker organization. At the time there was a divisive left-right split in the union. As the only individual both sides trusted, Helstein was elected president of the union, thus beginning an era of positive change for the UPWA and its workers.

Beyond Helstein's efforts for the UPWA, Marching with Dr. King: Ralph Helstein and the United Packinghouse Workers of America also examines the involvement of Helstein in the civil rights movement, his personal association with Martin Luther King, Jr., and how his actions as union president championed the rights of African Americans, women, and even an immigrant group outside the United States—the sugar workers in Puerto Rico. This text presents a unique perspective on the life of a labor leader, revealing the connection between Helstein's religious and philosophical ideas with his leadership of the UPWA union.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• Preface
• Introduction
• 1. Early Years
• 2. The Origin of the UPWA; Helstein Takes the Helm
• 3. Jewish Leadership in the Union
• 4. The 1948 Strike and Its Aftermath and Women Workers’ Advancement
• 5. Helstein Under Fire and the Anti-Red Period
• 6. Organizing Puerto Rican Workers
• 7. Automation, the Women’s Movement, and Helstein’s Extra-Union Activities
• 8. Merger with the Amalgamated, Highlander, Economic Benefits of Unionization, and the Revolt Against Helstein
• 9. Retirement, Summing Up, Helstein’s Death and Memorial, and Post-UPWA History
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index