The Hammer: Power, Inequality, and the Struggle for the Soul of Labor Highlight

twentieth century’s savage labor struggles. The quote that Nelson repeats most often is: “The capitalists say there is no need of labor organizing, but the fact that they themselves are continually organizing shows their real beliefs.” The second most common, deployed when the news is not good, is: “You will fight and lose. You will fight and win. But you must fight.” The exact wording fluctuates often in the telling, but the message is never hard to grasp.