Immigration and American Unionism

Briggs's book offers an excellent overview of US political and economic history. The author does an admirable job highlighting the controversies surrounding enactment of the several legislature measures aimed at restricting mass immigration in the US.

~Stephen Blumenfeld, Victoria University of Wellington, The Journal of Industrial Relations

The book is engagingly written and the overall thesis appears sound.

~Choice

Vernon Briggs weaves together the history of economic and political forces that drove American industry, the response of labor, and the counter-response of industry.... Briggs advocates strict control of illegal immigration by controlling the border, by inspecting worksites, by controlling documents. If the INS enforced laws, there would be no illegal immigrants for employers to manipulate or intimidate to prevent them from voting for union representation.

~E. Paul Durrenberger, Pennsylvania State University, Anthropology of Work Review

The issue of how to deal with surges in immigrant workers, both documented and undocumented, continues to be fraught with controversy within the American labor movement, and this book is an excellent addition to the debate.... Briggs does an excellent job representing the conservative side in the debate over immigration policy.

~Laurie Graham, Indiana University-Kokomo, Contemporary Sociology

Briggs has written a powerful critique of U.S. immigration policy, which he says explains organized labor's decline in recent decades.... An informative and provocative book. In particular, for those who seek to understand labor's decline in recent decades (including historians, economists, and policy analysts) or those who wish to reverse this alarming trend, Briggs concluding suggestions regarding changes in immigration and labor law should be required reading.

~Peter Cole, Western Illinois University, History: Review of New Books