Maximum Leverage

Phil Cohen's interwoven collection of stories portrays his early years surviving poverty on the violent streets of New York, ultimately shaping his journey to becoming a legendary union organizer. 

            The reader is transported into a world of crime, hardship, and suspense, as the author vividly describes a harrowing year driving illegal gypsy cabs in New York's most dangerous neighborhoods. To avoid the resulting arrest warrants, he seeks refuge in a cheap hotel, scraping by until the owners invite him to manage their establishment. Cohen ends up using his instincts to help impoverished residents deal with law enforcement, health care and welfare.

            Following a series of gripping transitions, he's hired as a lead organizer by a major trade union which inserts him into daunting situations other staff couldn't handle. The riveting engagements include defeating union busters, leveraging good contracts with hostile employers, rectifying unjust terminations, and breaking the Ku Klux Klan's control of a union local. 

            Written as action dramas with engaging character studies, the stories thrust readers into the whirlwind of vicious labor disputes while providing an audience-friendly understanding of labor law and asymmetric organizing tactics.