30,000 Locked Out. The Great Strike of the Building Trades in Chicago.

30,000 Locked Out: The Great Strike of the Building Trades in Chicago by James C. Beeks casts a vivid light on one of the most explosive episodes of late 19th-century labor history. Beeks’ contemporary account traces how a labor dispute over principle and autonomy escalated into a lockout that affected some 30,000 artisans and laborers, halted thousands of construction projects, and tied up roughly $20,000,000 of urban capital. Combining reportage, firsthand detail, and analysis, this nonfiction study explores themes of individual liberty, collective action, employer resistance, and the civic consequences of industrial conflict. Set against Chicago’s rapid growth and the broader rise of unionism, the narrative examines the legal, economic, and social pressures that shaped the building trades’ struggle—without editorializing beyond the facts. Readers encounter the mechanics of strikes and lockouts, the stakes for employers and workers, and the ways labor disputes can reshape a city’s economy and institutions. Ideal for listeners interested in labor history, urban studies, and the politics of work, Beeks’ book offers clear, historically grounded insight into the forces that forged modern labor relations—essential listening for historians, activists, and anyone curious about how cities and careers are built and contested.