Raising Expectations and Raising Hell

Raising Expectations and Raising Hell chronicles labor organizer Jane McAlevey's experiences in the American union movement from 2004-2012. Through detailed accounts of campaigns and organizing efforts, McAlevey documents her work with SEIU Nevada and other major labor organizations. The book provides an inside view of union organizing strategies, power dynamics within labor organizations, and the challenges faced by workers and organizers. McAlevey presents specific case studies from hospitals, public sector workplaces, and other industries where she led organizing drives. McAlevey details the methods and tactics she developed for building worker power and winning campaigns against powerful opposition. Her narrative includes both successes and setbacks in organizing thousands of workers across multiple states and sectors. The book serves as both a memoir and a strategic manual that challenges conventional approaches to labor organizing. Through McAlevey's experiences, it examines broader questions about worker power, democracy, and the future of the American labor movement.

Readers value McAlevey's detailed accounts of union organizing campaigns and her strategies for building worker power. Many highlight the practical tactics and case studies that can be applied to current labor organizing efforts. Positive reviews emphasize: - Clear explanations of power mapping and organic leader identification - Real examples of successful organizing methods - Insights into corporate anti-union tactics Common criticisms: - Too focused on McAlevey's personal experiences - Writing style can be repetitive - Some readers found the tone self-congratulatory Ratings: Goodreads: 4.25/5 (359 ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (46 ratings) Sample reader comment: "Offers concrete organizing lessons but spends too much time defending the author's specific approach" - Goodreads reviewer Another reader noted: "The strategies outlined here are invaluable for organizers, but the narrative gets bogged down in internal union politics" - Amazon reviewer

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🔍 Jane McAlevey worked as a union organizer during one of the most hostile periods for labor movements in recent U.S. history, successfully organizing thousands of workers despite aggressive anti-union campaigns. 💪 The book details how McAlevey achieved a 100% participation rate in union strikes at several hospitals, a feat almost unheard of in modern labor organizing. 📚 McAlevey developed her organizing techniques by combining civil rights movement strategies with labor organizing methods, drawing particularly from her experiences working with the Highlander Research and Education Center. 🏥 The campaigns described in the book resulted in some of the highest wage increases ever negotiated in the Nevada healthcare industry, including a 31% raise over three years for service workers. 🌟 Many of the organizing methods described in the book have become influential in modern labor movements, including the concept of "whole worker organizing" which considers workers' entire lives and communities, not just workplace issues.