Event Announcement: “Shifting Terrain: Work, Deindustrialization and Labor Relations in the Earthmoving Equipment Industry, 1967-2000”

Jason Kozlowski, assistant professor at West Virginia University, will present an overview of his current research at a brown-bag lecture at noon on Thursday, December 3, in the Reuther Conference Room of the Walter P. Reuther Library.

The event will detail research on his book project, tentatively titled “Shifting Terrain: Work, Deindustrialization and Labor Relations in the Earthmoving Equipment Industry, 1967-2000.” This comparative, transnational study examines deindustrialization in cities in which earthmoving equipment manufacturer Caterpillar has operated, analyzing the impact of changes in work processes, location of industrial production, and industrial conflict upon the industry, workplace cultures, and the surrounding communities.Utilizing historical records from the UAW’s Agricultural Implements collection at the Reuther Library, this research shows plant closures as not an endgame in themselves, but part of an ongoing and dynamic restructuring of work, workers, and communities.

Kozlowski’s research visit is supported through a Sam Fishman Travel Grant from the Reuther Library. These annual grants provide up to $1,000 to support travel to Detroit to access archival records of the American labor movement in the Reuther Library. The award is named in honor of Sam Fishman, a former UAW and Michigan AFL-CIO leader.

For further information, please contact Erik Nordberg, Reuther Library Director, at 313-577-4024.