US labor union density is at historic lows, and massive, mobile multinational corporations seem more powerful than ever. Yet because of their strategic position at the point of production, workers still have the ability to disrupt production and turn the table on their employers. In a new book, Labor Power and Strategy, the eminent historian of the Mexican Revolution John Womack Jr argues that workers can score major victories by taking advantage of strategic vulnerabilities in supply chains and individual workplaces.

Womack offers strategic advice for identifying “choke points” and using them to build labor power and solidarity. The book also includes interviews, conducted by Peter Olney of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), with ten labor organizers and educators who critically respond to and build on Womack’s thoughts. Labor historian Peter Cole interviewed Olney for Jacobin about some key takeaways from Womack and his respondents in the book.