Fist full of lightning

By Eric Wolfe

Subjects: Electricians, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Local 1245 (San Francisco, Calif.), Labor unions, Telephone operators, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, History, Labor movement

Description: In Fist Full of Lightning veteran labor writer Eric Wolfe describes some of the most explosive industrial uprisings of the early 20th century, when western linemen confronted giant utilities like United Railroads, Pacific Gas & Electric, and Pacific Telephone & Telegraph in the streets of San Francisco. Drawing on newspaper accounts as well as long-forgotten union archives, Wolfe introduces a cast of corporate sharks and their hired muscle battling rough-hewn linemen and tough-talking telephone operators who test the proposition that there is strength in unity.