Kenny Riley and Black Union Labor Power in the Port of Charleston - Paperback

by Ted Reed (Author), John J. Yurechko (Author)

Their ancestors may have been cargo in the slave ships that arrived in Charleston, S.C. Today, the scale has been rebalanced: black longshoremen run the port's cargo operation. They are members of the International Longshoremen's Association, a powerful labor union, and Kenny Riley is the charismatic leader of the Charleston local. Riley combines commitment to the civil rights movement with the practicality to ensure that Charleston remains a principal East Coast port. He emerged on the international stage in 2000, rallying union members worldwide to the defense of The Charleston Five, longshoremen arrested after a confrontation with police turned violent. This is Riley's story as well as a behind-the-scenes look at organized black labor in a Deep South port.

Author Biography

Former Miami Herald reporter, Ted Reed is a business and labor writer. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. John Yurechko is a retired senior government military analyst. He lives in Locust Grove, Virginia.