The New York City Labor Chorus (NYCLC) was the first group of its kind
when it formed in 1991 with members of different unions joining together
in song. Song, Struggle and Solidarity: The New York City Labor Chorus
in Its Twenty-fifth Year is the product of Mark Abendroth's ethnography
on the NYCLC during its calendar year from fall 2016 to spring 2017.
Abendroth was in his sixth year as an active member of the chorus at
that time. He kept field notes of nearly every NYCLC performance and
weekly rehearsal during the year. He also interviewed twenty-eight of
the approximately eighty-five members and studied documents in the
group's history. Chapters include a history of singing in the labor
movement in the United States, a history of the NYCLC in its first
twenty-four years, and a focus on developments during the group's
twenty-fifth year. The book ends with the author's conclusions on the
NYCLC's accomplishments, challenges, and possibilities.