In 1933, union density in the United States stood at a dismal 10 percent, similar to what it is today. From that low starting point, the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) cohered and organized formidable swaths of the American labor force, raising standards for millions and making unions a central part of US life and politics.

Today as then, workers are eager for union representation but lack organizing opportunities. To bridge this gap and reorganize the US working class, we would do well to study the CIO.

Labor historian David Brody’s books, particularly Workers in Industrial America, are highly recommended to those seeking to understand the CIO’s significance and dynamics. One of the progenitors of the “new labor history,” Brody’s work is simultaneously capacious and detailed, generous and cutting, caring and objective. Here Brody speaks to Benjamin Y. Fong about the origins and arc of the CIO.