'An original and visually powerful exploration of unionism.
'In our current political climate, people are looking for answers — and alternatives. The promise of unions is that their ‘members be unlimited’: that they don’t belong to the rich, the powerful, or special interests, but to all workers.
'How did the idea of unionism arise? Where has it flourished? And what are its challenges in the 21st century? From Britain to Bangladesh, from the first union of the 18th century to today, from solidarity in Walmart China to his own experiences in an Amazon warehouse in Melbourne, comics journalist Sam Wallman explores the urge to come together and cooperate that arises again and again in workers and workplaces everywhere.
'With a dynamic and distinctive art style, and writing that’s both thoughtful and down to earth, Our Members Be Unlimited serves as an entry point for young people or those new to these notions of collective action, but also as an invigorating read to those already engaged in the struggle for better working conditions — and a better world.'
Source : publisher's blurb
'In this new kind of graphic novel, Sam Wallman fearlessly celebrates unions and their place in our history and our lives.'
'As a self-employed artist living in relative autonomy and precarity, I can feel untethered from the formal structures and conventions that shape our notions of ‘work’. I don’t observe a weekend or an eight-hour day; the line I draw between labour and leisure is indistinct. Twenty years have passed since I last reported to a ‘boss’. Even so, while reading Sam Wallman’s sweeping graphic love letter to unionism, I am reminded of the myriad ways I benefit from the revolutionary history of organised worker solidarity—a struggle that has re-modelled the framework of contemporary institutions and the imaginations of those who populate them.' (Introduction)
'Unionism has been declining for three decades in Australia. Today trade union membership is about 14 per cent of all Australian workers, having peaked in the 1970s. Young workers are less likely to be union members now than older ones. Even so, unions still play a vital role in the Australian workplace, such as successfully winning a recent minimum wage guarantee for workers picking produce.' (Introduction)
'Unionism has been declining for three decades in Australia. Today trade union membership is about 14 per cent of all Australian workers, having peaked in the 1970s. Young workers are less likely to be union members now than older ones. Even so, unions still play a vital role in the Australian workplace, such as successfully winning a recent minimum wage guarantee for workers picking produce.' (Introduction)
'As a self-employed artist living in relative autonomy and precarity, I can feel untethered from the formal structures and conventions that shape our notions of ‘work’. I don’t observe a weekend or an eight-hour day; the line I draw between labour and leisure is indistinct. Twenty years have passed since I last reported to a ‘boss’. Even so, while reading Sam Wallman’s sweeping graphic love letter to unionism, I am reminded of the myriad ways I benefit from the revolutionary history of organised worker solidarity—a struggle that has re-modelled the framework of contemporary institutions and the imaginations of those who populate them.' (Introduction)
'In this new kind of graphic novel, Sam Wallman fearlessly celebrates unions and their place in our history and our lives.'
