Overview

A timely and inspiring work of comics journalism--the history of unions and why we need them (and a first-hand account of working in an Amazon warehouse). Workers of the world, unite! From comics journalist Sam Wallman comes a thoughtful plunge into the history of unions. Through distinctive art and sharp-eyed reporting, Wallman ushers us into the hidden aisles of 21st-century labor conditions, and shows us recent labor movements and union triumphs--all while framing current conditions against the history of unions and the earliest rallying cries for worker rights. It's an entry point for younger generations, and a reminder for workers who have had their livelihood reduced by capitalist pressures. It's also a primer for those new to the power of collective action. From an Amazon warehouse in Melbourne (where Sam worked for a year), to Britain and Bangladesh, to Walmart in China and the New York Taxi Workers Alliance strike against the Trump-era refugee ban of 2017, this book is a highly original and visual exploration of the power of unions.

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9781950354993

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Reviews

Unionism is about more than your rights at work. It is something greater even than a form of politics at the point of production: union struggle is composed of those mundane moments of perseverance and ingenuity in daily life that are all too easy to pass over in retrospect. This is the history that Sam Wallman uncovers in his magnificent new longform comic, Our Members Be Unlimited ... With his unmistakable animated and intricate graphic style, Wallman is skilled at stitching these quotidian details into a broader narrative of working-class history ... Learned and extensively researched, this book is also practical, ending with a sizeable glossary of useful union terms, from 'black cat' to 'ultra'. Wallman's activist energy, familiar to anyone who has read his shorter comics or seen his posters pasted up around their city, makes this graphic history urgent and invigorating reading. --Books+Publishing Beautiful, bold, and necessary. An original and timely look at labor's past and present that shows how workers won the rights we have and how they'll be taken away if we don't use our power to keep them and build on them. --Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA Our Members Be Unlimited is a beautiful and often moving guide to union organizing that's in touch with the reality of work today. Sam Wallman draws on the history of working-class resistance and the humanism at the heart of our movement to guide and give heart to activists. --Bhaskar Sunkara, founding editor of Jacobin magazine Sam Wallman's comic is history and argument, it is celebration and reflection, and with every turn of its beautiful, vivid pages it is a reminder of the galvanizing power of radical solidarity and of radical love. This book is a gift, it's exhilarating. --Christos Tsiolkas, author of The Slap and 71/2 In a narrative that moves from trade-union history to his own efforts organizing in an Amazon warehouse, Sam Wallman draws honest, unsentimental portraits of the working class that was and the working class that is. Most of all, he shares a vision of the working class that could be, depicting the everyday decency of ordinary people as the only hope for a world in crisis. Funny, tender, and wise, this book both delights and inspires. --Jeff Sparrow, author of Crimes Against Nature

"""Activist and comics journalist Wallman debuts with a convincing, transfixing graphic history of the impact and future potential of unions ... This is a dynamic, persuasive look at labor power."" --Publishers Weekly ""In Our Members Be Unlimited, comics journalist Wallman achieves what many on the left struggle with: he makes history, theory, and organizing practice accessible and fun to read about ... Deftly mixing personal experience, journalism, and history, he highlights not just the highs but also the lows of union history. Throughout, he makes extensive use of imaginative spreads that blend traditional comics layouts with artwork more commonly found on murals and activist posters ... hits so powerfully you can't help but want to share. Hand this to any reader interested in labor movements, comics fans or not."" --Matthew Noe, Booklist ""Unionism is about more than your rights at work. It is something greater even than a form of politics at the point of production: union struggle is composed of those mundane moments of perseverance and ingenuity in daily life that are all too easy to pass over in retrospect. This is the history that Sam Wallman uncovers in his magnificent new longform comic, Our Members Be Unlimited ... With his unmistakable animated and intricate graphic style, Wallman is skilled at stitching these quotidian details into a broader narrative of working-class history ... Learned and extensively researched, this book is also practical, ending with a sizeable glossary of useful union terms, from 'black cat' to 'ultra'. Wallman's activist energy, familiar to anyone who has read his shorter comics or seen his posters pasted up around their city, makes this graphic history urgent and invigorating reading."" --Joshua Barnes, Books+Publishing ""Beautiful, bold, and necessary. An original and timely look at labor's past and present that shows how workers won the rights we have and how they'll be taken away if we don't use our power to keep them and build on them."" --Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA ""Our Members Be Unlimited is a beautiful and often moving guide to union organizing that's in touch with the reality of work today. Sam Wallman draws on the history of working-class resistance and the humanism at the heart of our movement to guide and give heart to activists."" --Bhaskar Sunkara, founding editor of Jacobin magazine ""Sam Wallman's comic is history and argument, it is celebration and reflection, and with every turn of its beautiful, vivid pages it is a reminder of the galvanizing power of radical solidarity and of radical love. This book is a gift, it's exhilarating."" --Christos Tsiolkas, author of The Slap and 71/2 ""In a narrative that moves from trade-union history to his own efforts organizing in an Amazon warehouse, Sam Wallman draws honest, unsentimental portraits of the working class that was and the working class that is. Most of all, he shares a vision of the working class that could be, depicting the everyday decency of ordinary people as the only hope for a world in crisis. Funny, tender, and wise, this book both delights and inspires."" --Jeff Sparrow, author of Crimes Against Nature ""Sam Wallman's perspective is born of his deep involvement in the Left and a decade spent alongside other radical artists producing art in support of left-wing and trade union campaigns ... Our Members Be Unlimited helps us realize that, when we build union solidarity in the workplace, our efforts go beyond wages and conditions--rekindling the old spirit of collectivism is how we build a better future for humanity."" --Jacobin ""So, so excited about this one! The first book-length comic from Australian comics journalist, cartoonist, and labor activist Sam Wallman is a stunner--a bold visual history of workers' struggles; a mini-memoir of Wallman's time working as a picker (and shop floor organizer) in an Amazon warehouse; and a compelling intro-slash-invitation to union activism."" --Tove Holmbery, Powell's Books ""Our Members Be Unlimited is a half-historical half-autobiographical novel of the slow progress of unionization across the world. If there's anything to glean from this, it's that no one can be expected to stand defiantly on their own ... and that there's a benefit to being part of a collective in pursuit of freedom -- whether that liberation is from British capitalism in the 1600s or from one of the most profitable and tyrannical companies known today. (You know which one I'm talking about.)"" --Kvothe Harris, Rediscovered Bookshop ""[Our Members Be Unlimited is a] textured, extensively researched work ... The artist's bold style, consisting mainly of primary colors, makes the work visually compelling ... His creative agility demonstrates the many possibilities of comics ... What's hugely evident across the work is Wallman's passion for, and belief in, a better world."" --Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, The Sydney Morning Herald ""Sam Wallman has written an inspiring and uplifting visual history of the [union] movement ... [his] distinctive style, wit and historical knowledge make this something to relish."" --Jason Steger, The Sydney Morning Herald ""Our Members Be Unlimited is a visual and intellectual feast that tackles unionism's past and present. It's a rousing book that adds to an exciting wave of Australian graphic storytelling."" --Yves Rees, Australian Book Review's Books of the Year 2022 ""In this artfully illustrated book of comic history, author Sam Wallman documents recent gains made by organized labor while offering the reader a look back at the struggle for worker rights. A great introduction for younger readers looking to familiarize themselves with the labor movement, this comic book offers a humorous and educational perspective on the challenges facing unions in the 21st century, and the way those challenges differ from the struggles of workers in previous centuries."" --Microcosm Publishing"

Sam Wallman's comic is history and argument, it is celebration and reflection, and with every turn of its beautiful, vivid pages it is a reminder of the galvanizing power of radical solidarity and of radical love. This book is a gift, it's exhilarating. --Christos Tsiolkas, author of The Slap In a narrative that moves from trade-union history to his own efforts organizing in an Amazon warehouse, Sam Wallman draws honest, unsentimental portraits of the working class that was and the working class that is. Most of all, he shares a vision of the working class that could be, depicting the everyday decency of ordinary people as the only hope for a world in crisis. Funny, tender, and wise, this book both delights and inspires. --Jeff Sparrow, author of Crimes Against Nature Our Members Be Unlimited is a beautiful and often moving guide to union organizing that's in touch with the reality of work today. Sam Wallman draws on the history of working-class resistance and the humanism at the heart of our movement to guide and give heart to activists. --Bhaskar Sunkara, founding editor of Jacobin magazine Beautiful, bold, and necessary. An original and timely look at labor's past and present that shows how workers won the rights we have and how they'll be taken away if we don't use our power to keep them and build on them. --Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA Unionism is about more than your rights at work. It is something greater even than a form of politics at the point of production: union struggle is composed of those mundane moments of perseverance and ingenuity in daily life that are all too easy to pass over in retrospect. This is the history that Sam Wallman uncovers in his magnificent new longform comic, Our Members Be Unlimited ... With his unmistakable animated and intricate graphic style, Wallman is skilled at stitching these quotidian details into a broader narrative of working-class history ... Learned and extensively researched, this book is also practical, ending with a sizeable glossary of useful union terms, from 'black cat' to 'ultra'. Wallman's activist energy, familiar to anyone who has read his shorter comics or seen his posters pasted up around their city, makes this graphic history urgent and invigorating reading. --Joshua Barnes, Books+Publishing [Our Members Be Unlimited is a] textured, extensively researched work ... The artist's bold style, consisting mainly of primary colors, makes the work visually compelling ... His creative agility demonstrates the many possibilities of comics ... What's hugely evident across the work is Wallman's passion for, and belief in, a better world. --Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, The Sydney Morning Herald Sam Wallman has written an inspiring and uplifting visual history of the [union] movement ... [his] distinctive style, wit and historical knowledge make this something to relish. --Jason Steger, The Sydney Morning Herald Sam Wallman's book is an insight both personal and historical into a collectivist alternative to capitalism that has existed as long as there have been bosses ... Wallman is ambitious enough to take comics to areas that are hard to explain, where the message may be complex but the stories are simple. ... [Our Members Be Unlimited] is a book that asks readers to read slowly and pay attention to the subtleties. --George Dunford, ArtsHub Our Members be Unlimited offers an entertaining, well-researched and accessible history of unionism ... [Each page] is designed with the confidence and urgency of a poster. --Matt Chun, Overland Stylistically, Wallman deftly manages the complex use of space - at times like MC Escher or Diego Rivera, also taking inspiration from early trade union banners ... Unique and urgent, Our Members Be Unlimited is aimed at a broad audience and well deserves to reach it. --Andrew Chuter, Green Left Creatively, intellectually, politically, emotionally, Wallman has produced a remarkable work. Our Members Be Unlimited is a robust and distinguished contribution to the long Australian tradition of interactions between artists and the labour movement going back to its birth years in the nineteenth century. --Rowan Cahill, Recorder No artwork or book has the same power as rank-and-file workplace organizing. But if it reaches a wide enough audience, the book might help amplify the emerging wave of union organization, from US Amazon warehouse workers to cleaners and health care workers in Australia. Our Members Be Unlimited helps us realize that, when we build union solidarity in the workplace, our efforts go beyond wages and conditions -- rekindling the old spirit of collectivism is how we build a better future for humanity. --Nicky Minus, Jacobin Unionism is about more than your rights at work. It is something greater even than a form of politics at the point of production: union struggle is composed of those mundane moments of perseverance and ingenuity in daily life that are all too easy to pass over in retrospect. This is the history that Sam Wallman uncovers in his magnificent new longform comic, Our Members Be Unlimited ... With his unmistakable animated and intricate graphic style, Wallman is skilled at stitching these quotidian details into a broader narrative of working-class history ... Learned and extensively researched, this book is also practical, ending with a sizeable glossary of useful union terms, from 'black cat' to 'ultra'. Wallman's activist energy, familiar to anyone who has read his shorter comics or seen his posters pasted up around their city, makes this graphic history urgent and invigorating reading. --Joshua Barnes, Books+Publishing Beautiful, bold, and necessary. An original and timely look at labor's past and present that shows how workers won the rights we have and how they'll be taken away if we don't use our power to keep them and build on them. --Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA Our Members Be Unlimited is a beautiful and often moving guide to union organizing that's in touch with the reality of work today. Sam Wallman draws on the history of working-class resistance and the humanism at the heart of our movement to guide and give heart to activists. --Bhaskar Sunkara, founding editor of Jacobin magazine Sam Wallman's comic is history and argument, it is celebration and reflection, and with every turn of its beautiful, vivid pages it is a reminder of the galvanizing power of radical solidarity and of radical love. This book is a gift, it's exhilarating. --Christos Tsiolkas, author of The Slap and 71/2 In a narrative that moves from trade-union history to his own efforts organizing in an Amazon warehouse, Sam Wallman draws honest, unsentimental portraits of the working class that was and the working class that is. Most of all, he shares a vision of the working class that could be, depicting the everyday decency of ordinary people as the only hope for a world in crisis. Funny, tender, and wise, this book both delights and inspires. --Jeff Sparrow, author of Crimes Against Nature

Beautiful, bold, and necessary. An original and timely look at labor's past and present that shows how workers won the rights we have and how they'll be taken away if we don't use our power to keep them and build on them. --Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA Our Members Be Unlimited is a beautiful and often moving guide to union organizing that's in touch with the reality of work today. Sam Wallman draws on the history of working-class resistance and the humanism at the heart of our movement to guide and give heart to activists. --Bhaskar Sunkara, founding editor of Jacobin magazine Sam Wallman's comic is history and argument, it is celebration and reflection, and with every turn of its beautiful, vivid pages it is a reminder of the galvanizing power of radical solidarity and of radical love. This book is a gift, it's exhilarating. --Christos Tsiolkas, author of The Slap and 71/2 In a narrative that moves from trade-union history to his own efforts organizing in an Amazon warehouse, Sam Wallman draws honest, unsentimental portraits of the working class that was and the working class that is. Most of all, he shares a vision of the working class that could be, depicting the everyday decency of ordinary people as the only hope for a world in crisis. Funny, tender, and wise, this book both delights and inspires. --Jeff Sparrow, author of Crimes Against Nature

Activist and comics journalist Wallman debuts with a convincing, transfixing graphic history of the impact and future potential of unions ... This is a dynamic, persuasive look at labor power. --Publishers Weekly In Our Members Be Unlimited, comics journalist Wallman achieves what many on the left struggle with: he makes history, theory, and organizing practice accessible and fun to read about ... Deftly mixing personal experience, journalism, and history, he highlights not just the highs but also the lows of union history. Throughout, he makes extensive use of imaginative spreads that blend traditional comics layouts with artwork more commonly found on murals and activist posters ... hits so powerfully you can't help but want to share. Hand this to any reader interested in labor movements, comics fans or not. --Matthew Noe, Booklist Unionism is about more than your rights at work. It is something greater even than a form of politics at the point of production: union struggle is composed of those mundane moments of perseverance and ingenuity in daily life that are all too easy to pass over in retrospect. This is the history that Sam Wallman uncovers in his magnificent new longform comic, Our Members Be Unlimited ... With his unmistakable animated and intricate graphic style, Wallman is skilled at stitching these quotidian details into a broader narrative of working-class history ... Learned and extensively researched, this book is also practical, ending with a sizeable glossary of useful union terms, from 'black cat' to 'ultra'. Wallman's activist energy, familiar to anyone who has read his shorter comics or seen his posters pasted up around their city, makes this graphic history urgent and invigorating reading. --Joshua Barnes, Books+Publishing Beautiful, bold, and necessary. An original and timely look at labor's past and present that shows how workers won the rights we have and how they'll be taken away if we don't use our power to keep them and build on them. --Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA Our Members Be Unlimited is a beautiful and often moving guide to union organizing that's in touch with the reality of work today. Sam Wallman draws on the history of working-class resistance and the humanism at the heart of our movement to guide and give heart to activists. --Bhaskar Sunkara, founding editor of Jacobin magazine Sam Wallman's comic is history and argument, it is celebration and reflection, and with every turn of its beautiful, vivid pages it is a reminder of the galvanizing power of radical solidarity and of radical love. This book is a gift, it's exhilarating. --Christos Tsiolkas, author of The Slap and 71/2 In a narrative that moves from trade-union history to his own efforts organizing in an Amazon warehouse, Sam Wallman draws honest, unsentimental portraits of the working class that was and the working class that is. Most of all, he shares a vision of the working class that could be, depicting the everyday decency of ordinary people as the only hope for a world in crisis. Funny, tender, and wise, this book both delights and inspires. --Jeff Sparrow, author of Crimes Against Nature [Our Members Be Unlimited is a] textured, extensively researched work ... The artist's bold style, consisting mainly of primary colors, makes the work visually compelling ... His creative agility demonstrates the many possibilities of comics ... What's hugely evident across the work is Wallman's passion for, and belief in, a better world. --Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, The Sydney Morning Herald Sam Wallman has written an inspiring and uplifting visual history of the [union] movement ... [his] distinctive style, wit and historical knowledge make this something to relish. --Jason Steger, The Sydney Morning Herald A stunner -- a bold visual history of workers' struggles; a mini-memoir of Wallman's time working as a picker (and shop floor organizer) in an Amazon warehouse; and a compelling intro-slash-invitation to union activism. --Tove Holmbery, Powell's Books Our Members Be Unlimited is a half-historical half-autobiographical novel of the slow progress of unionisation across the world. If there's anything to glean from this, it's that no one can be expected to stand defiantly on their own ... and that there's a benefit to being part of a collective in pursuit of freedom--whether that liberation is from British capitalism in the 1600s or from one of the most profitable and tyrannical companies known today. (You know which one I'm talking about.). --Kvothe Harris, Rediscovered Bookshop Our Members Be Unlimited is a half-historical half-autobiographical novel of the slow progress of unionization across the world. If there's anything to glean from this, it's that no one can be expected to stand defiantly on their own ... and that there's a benefit to being part of a collective in pursuit of freedom -- whether that liberation is from British capitalism in the 1600s or from one of the most profitable and tyrannical companies known today. (You know which one I'm talking about.) --Kvothe Harris, Rediscovered Bookshop

Author Information

Sam Wallman is a comics-journalist and cartoonist based in Melbourne, Australia. His work has been published by The Guardian and The New York Times, among others. In 2016, he visited the United States to draw everyday people's responses to the presidential election for Australian, Italian, and American media outlets. Sam is a committed unionist, having worked as an organizer for the National Union of Workers, and a delegate on the shop floor prior to that. He has drawn cartoons for over a hundred trade unions and worker organizations around the world, and is currently developing large-scale murals and banners. He works out of the Workers Art Collective studio in the Trades Hall, Melbourne, the oldest union building in the world.

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