One Day Stronger: How One Union Local Saved a Mill and Changed an Industry--and What It Means for American Manufacturing

In August, 2017, the death knell sounded for yet another troubled American manufacturer: Appleton Coated, a historic mill in Wisconsin's historic paper valley that had been the community's economic mainstay for 128 years. The mill was sold to an industrial scrapper; hundreds of jobs were threatened, and a way of life hung in the balance.

But then the unlikely happened.

The mill's union local and one county official leveraged an obscure legal strategy to stop the selloff. They did so in the face of widespread indifference from cynical politicians, including the state's Republican governor and legislature, who were hell-bent on landing a plant to be built by Foxconn, a controversial foreign electronics manufacturer-even at the cost of over $3 billion in state subsidies.

Against all odds, the people won. Now the county official who joined in their fight, Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson, tells the story behind this remarkable turnaround. One Day Stronger is an inspiring saga of how a determined group of millworkers and other community-minded people triumphed over apathy, corporate avarice, and powerful political forces.

Today, the Appleton Coated mill is alive and well, and the Foxconn deal has cratered. But other manufacturers across the country face threats similar to the one that almost destroyed Appleton Coated. Author Nelson explains the crucial role that labor unions have played in building America's middle class by creating and sustaining good-paying jobs, fostering prosperous communities, and promoting social solidarity. More important, he shows how labor, working in common cause with business and local government, can restore the American dream.

In a world where corporate greed and financial engineering have crushed the dreams of countless Americans, One Day Stronger offers a road map for fighting back-and winning.

"1138700625"
One Day Stronger: How One Union Local Saved a Mill and Changed an Industry--and What It Means for American Manufacturing

In August, 2017, the death knell sounded for yet another troubled American manufacturer: Appleton Coated, a historic mill in Wisconsin's historic paper valley that had been the community's economic mainstay for 128 years. The mill was sold to an industrial scrapper; hundreds of jobs were threatened, and a way of life hung in the balance.

But then the unlikely happened.

The mill's union local and one county official leveraged an obscure legal strategy to stop the selloff. They did so in the face of widespread indifference from cynical politicians, including the state's Republican governor and legislature, who were hell-bent on landing a plant to be built by Foxconn, a controversial foreign electronics manufacturer-even at the cost of over $3 billion in state subsidies.

Against all odds, the people won. Now the county official who joined in their fight, Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson, tells the story behind this remarkable turnaround. One Day Stronger is an inspiring saga of how a determined group of millworkers and other community-minded people triumphed over apathy, corporate avarice, and powerful political forces.

Today, the Appleton Coated mill is alive and well, and the Foxconn deal has cratered. But other manufacturers across the country face threats similar to the one that almost destroyed Appleton Coated. Author Nelson explains the crucial role that labor unions have played in building America's middle class by creating and sustaining good-paying jobs, fostering prosperous communities, and promoting social solidarity. More important, he shows how labor, working in common cause with business and local government, can restore the American dream.

In a world where corporate greed and financial engineering have crushed the dreams of countless Americans, One Day Stronger offers a road map for fighting back-and winning.

19.95 In Stock
One Day Stronger: How One Union Local Saved a Mill and Changed an Industry--and What It Means for American Manufacturing

One Day Stronger: How One Union Local Saved a Mill and Changed an Industry--and What It Means for American Manufacturing

by Thomas M Nelson
One Day Stronger: How One Union Local Saved a Mill and Changed an Industry--and What It Means for American Manufacturing

One Day Stronger: How One Union Local Saved a Mill and Changed an Industry--and What It Means for American Manufacturing

by Thomas M Nelson

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Overview

In August, 2017, the death knell sounded for yet another troubled American manufacturer: Appleton Coated, a historic mill in Wisconsin's historic paper valley that had been the community's economic mainstay for 128 years. The mill was sold to an industrial scrapper; hundreds of jobs were threatened, and a way of life hung in the balance.

But then the unlikely happened.

The mill's union local and one county official leveraged an obscure legal strategy to stop the selloff. They did so in the face of widespread indifference from cynical politicians, including the state's Republican governor and legislature, who were hell-bent on landing a plant to be built by Foxconn, a controversial foreign electronics manufacturer-even at the cost of over $3 billion in state subsidies.

Against all odds, the people won. Now the county official who joined in their fight, Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson, tells the story behind this remarkable turnaround. One Day Stronger is an inspiring saga of how a determined group of millworkers and other community-minded people triumphed over apathy, corporate avarice, and powerful political forces.

Today, the Appleton Coated mill is alive and well, and the Foxconn deal has cratered. But other manufacturers across the country face threats similar to the one that almost destroyed Appleton Coated. Author Nelson explains the crucial role that labor unions have played in building America's middle class by creating and sustaining good-paying jobs, fostering prosperous communities, and promoting social solidarity. More important, he shows how labor, working in common cause with business and local government, can restore the American dream.

In a world where corporate greed and financial engineering have crushed the dreams of countless Americans, One Day Stronger offers a road map for fighting back-and winning.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781733914185
Publisher: Rivertowns Books
Publication date: 03/09/2021
Pages: 306
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

Thomas M. Nelson has been County Executive of Outagamie County, Wisconsin since 2011. He served three terms in the state assembly, including one as majority leader, one of the youngest in state history. He developed his passion for public service from his parents, who founded a Lutheran mission church in Combined Locks, in the shadow of Appleton Coated. Nelson holds degrees from Carleton College (BA) and the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (MPA). He lives in Appleton, Wisconsin, with his wife, Maria, and their two children, Mary and George, and Lucy, a Yorkshire Terrier.

Table of Contents

Introduction: One Night in Kaukauna

PART ONE: INTO THE BREACH

1.On the Brink

2.Like Day into Night

3.Auctioning Off a Legacy

PART TWO: A TROUBLED HISTORY

4.Profits, People, and Planet: 150 Years of Papermaking in the Fox Valley

5.The Ghosts of Kimberly-NewPage

PART THREE: TURNING THE TIDE

6.The Voice of God

7.On Our Own

8.Foxconn for Kimberly-Clark

9.State of the Unions

10.A Labor Party for America?

11.In the Vanguard

Acknowledgments

Source Notes and Bibliography

Index

About the Author

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