Providing incisive commentary on the historical and contemporary
American working class experience, Banded Together: Economic
Democratization in the Brass Valley documents a community's efforts to
rebuild and revitalize itself in the aftermath of deindustrialization.
Through powerful oral histories and other primary sources, Jeremy
Brecher tells the story of a group of average Americans--factory
workers, housewives, parishioners, and organizers--who tried to create a
democratic alternative to the economic powerlessness caused by the
closing of factories in the Connecticut Naugatuck Valley region during
the 1970s and 1980s. This volume focuses on grassroots organization,
democratically controlled enterprises, and supportive public policies,
providing examples from the Naugatuck Valley Project community-alliance
that remain relevant to the economic problems of today and tomorrow.
Drawing on more than a hundred interviews with Project leaders, staff,
and other knowledgeable members of the local community, Brecher
illustrates how the Naugatuck Valley Project served as a vehicle for
community members to establish greater control over their economic
lives.