Impossible Union

Jarod Roll is the Kinder Institute Professor of Missouri History & Constitutional Democracy at the University of Missouri. He is the author of Poor Man's Fortune: White Working-Class Conservatism in American Metal Mining, 1850-1950. Erik S. Gellman is a professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is the author of Troublemakers: Chicago Freedom Struggles through the Lens of Art Shay. Roll and Gellman coauthored The Gospel of the Working Class: Labor's Southern Prophets in New Deal America.

"In the heart of the Great Depression, the poorest workers in America created a labor union that successfully fought on behalf of justice for all. Their story is beautifully depicted in Impossible Union. Indispensable lessons for labor organizers and scholars today." --Paul Ortiz, author of An African American and Latinx History of the United States "Impossible Union does the impossible itself in providing a detailed account, the first of its kind in scope, of the history of the multi-site, multifaceted Food, Tobacco, Agricultural and Allied Workers (FTA) union through some of the most tumultuous decades of twentieth century US history. The book is an amazing accomplishment based on an incomparable amount of research undertaken, all woven together into a richly told, riveting, narrative. I didn't want to put it down." --Lisa Phillips, author of A Renegade Union: Interracial Organizing and Labor Radicalism "A monumental achievement. Gellman and Roll have combed archival collections and followed UCAPAWA-FTA's trail from coast to coast to tell a comprehensive history of an important union from the 10,000-foot view. Their book recovers the story of UCAPAWA-FTA's expansive and multiracial vision of American democracy while also taking seriously the productive tensions and organizing traditions within the union and among its staff. The authors successfully embrace institutional history while not losing sight of the rank-and-file." --Jessie Wilkerson, author of To Live Here, You Have to Fight: How Women Led Appalachian Movements for Social Justice