About the Book 

Author John Hennen's new book addresses the multiple cultural, social and economic obstacles confronted by low-wage workers, mostly women, as they tried to make a living in post-industrial Appalachia.

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Using the words of the workers and organizers themselves, Hennen traces the Local 1199's organizing and educational efforts in hospitals, nursing homes, and health care centers in West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and Appalachian Ohio. 

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Their choice to cast their fate with Local 1199 reflected their determination to promote and protect their economic security as well as to confront class, racial and patriarchal biases which divided workers.