Collapse of Dignity: The Story of a Mining Tragedy and the Fight Against Greed and Corruption in Mexico - Tapa dura

"A damning account of how misused power can cost lives and wreak havoc. Open, honest, and eloquent, Gomez passionately calls for reform and a better world as he condemns the officials and businessmen who exploit the workers." --Publishers Weekly "Collapse of Dignity gives trade union leaders and activists in North America and indeed around the world a heads up into the brutal tactics and strategies employed by governments and multi-national corporations that seek to drive down wages, radically alter the conditions of work, diminish workers' rights and crush trade union resistance." --Ken Georgetti, President, Canadian Labour Congress "Collapse of Dignity is an unblinking and unnerving look inside our world's labor struggle. Gomez's incredible account of the fight for justice in the face of seemingly insurmountable adversity is a warning, a lesson, and--ultimately--an impassioned call for international change. Essential reading for any working person." --Thom Hartmann, Author of The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight "A riveting story about standing up to big corporations, Collapse of Dignity delivers a message for us all: We the People must force the global corporatocracy to serve us, the workers and consumers. The contrast between Chile and Mexico is a striking call to action." --John Perkins, New York Times Bestselling Author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man and Hoodwinked "Collapse of Dignity is a powerful testimony to the attack by corrupt politicians and cynical businessmen to silence a union and its leader. Napoleon Gomez, leader of the mining and metalworkers' union Los Mineros, gives a compelling account of the events that followed the industrial homicide... The global trade union movement continues to support this courageous fight for free and independent unionism in Mexico, and for a better life for all workers and their families. This is what we remain deeply committed to doing by mobilizing our forces all over the world." --Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union "Napoleon is a hero because every day he fights for the lives and welfare of the Mexican workers and their families." --Richard Trumka President of AFL CIO "Gomez writes with passion, intelligence and vision from his own extraordinary personal experience. His story of the brutal and deadly conditions of work in Mexico's mines and his sharp analysis of the global system that produces such inhumanity make this book essential for anyone who wants to understand how the global economy really works." --Jeff Faux, Founder of the Economic Policy Institute and Author of The Servant Economy "Injustice never stops until one person summons the courage to become a hero. Inhuman conditions never end until many join that hero and say 'no more.' This is the story of such a hero and those who answered his call." --Ken Neumann, USW National Director for Canada "Collapse of Dignity is an extraordinary, personal and essential dispatch from the brutal frontlines of workers' battle for rights in the face of corporate greed, government corruption and the appalling neglect of the very lives and safety of Mexico's miners." --Carne Ross, Author of The Leaderless Revolution "An evocative and powerful personal account of the global labour movement through the eyes of one of its leading figures." --Noreena Hertz, author of The Silent Takeover: Global Capitalism and the Death of Democracy and The Debt Threat: How Debt Is Destroying the Developing World "Written with passion and honesty, Napoleon Gomez's memoir reveals a deeply personal story about the struggle of the Mexican National Union of Mine Workers. Theirs has been an epic battle for the safety and wellbeing of miners and their families, for their dignity, and for justice against callous mining corporations and corrupt politicians. This drama, filled with tragedy and inspiring resilience, is a poignant allegory of globalization and power that should be read by union leaders and activists around the world." --Daniel Katz, Dean of Labor Studies at the National Labor College "Collapse of Dignity is about one man's quest to restore dignity in the mines of Mexico and in the minds of his fellow mineworkers. Napoleon Gomez's story captures the struggle of the human spirit and the fight for freedom in today's global economy." --R. Thomas Buffenbarger, International President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers A damning account of how misused power can cost lives and wreak havoc. Open, honest, and eloquent, Gomez passionately calls for reform and a better world as he condemns the officials and businessmen who exploit the workers. Publishers Weekly "Collapse of Dignity gives trade union leaders and activists in North America and indeed around the world a heads up into the brutal tactics and strategies employed by governments and multi-national corporations that seek to drive down wages, radically alter the conditions of work, diminish workers rights and crush trade union resistance." Ken Georgetti, President, Canadian Labour Congress Collapse of Dignity is an unblinking and unnerving look inside our world s labor struggle. Gomez s incredible account of the fight for justice in the face of seemingly insurmountable adversity is a warning, a lesson, andultimatelyan impassioned call for international change. Essential reading for any working person. Thom Hartmann, Author of The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight A riveting story about standing up to big corporations, Collapse of Dignity delivers a message for us all: We the People must force the global corporatocracy to serve us, the workers and consumers. The contrast between Chile and Mexico is a striking call to action. John Perkins, New York Times Bestselling Author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man and Hoodwinked Collapse of Dignity is a powerful testimony to the attack by corrupt politicians and cynical businessmen to silence a union and its leader. Napoleon Gomez, leader of the mining and metalworkers union Los Mineros, gives a compelling account of the events that followed the industrial homicide The global trade union movement continues to support this courageous fight for free and independent unionism in Mexico, and for a better life for all workers and their families. This is what we remain deeply committed to doing by mobilizing our forces all over the world. Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union Napoleon is a hero because every day he fights for the lives and welfare of the Mexican workers and their families. Richard Trumka President of AFL CIO Gomez writes with passion, intelligence and vision from his own extraordinary personal experience. His story of the brutal and deadly conditions of work in Mexico's mines and his sharp analysis of the global system that produces such inhumanity make this book essential for anyone who wants to understand how the global economy really works. Jeff Faux, Founder of the Economic Policy Institute and Author of The Servant Economy Injustice never stops until one person summons the courage to become a hero. Inhuman conditions never end until many join that hero and say no more. This is the story of such a hero and those who answered his call. Ken Neumann, USW National Director for Canada Collapse of Dignity is an extraordinary, personal and essential dispatch from the brutal frontlines of workers battle for rights in the face of corporate greed, government corruption and the appalling neglect of the very lives and safety of Mexico s miners. Carne Ross, Author of The Leaderless Revolution "An evocative and powerful personal account of the global labour movement through the eyes of one of its leading figures." Noreena Hertz, author of The Silent Takeover: Global Capitalism and the Death of Democracy and The Debt Threat: How Debt Is Destroying the Developing World Written with passion and honesty, Napoleon Gomez's memoir reveals a deeply personal story about the struggle of the Mexican National Union of Mine Workers. Theirs has been an epic battle for the safety and wellbeing of miners and their families, for their dignity, and for justice against callous mining corporations and corrupt politicians. This drama, filled with tragedy and inspiring resilience, is a poignant allegory of globalization and power that should be read by union leaders and activists around the world. Daniel Katz, Dean of Labor Studies at the National Labor College Collapse of Dignity is about one man s quest to restore dignity in the mines of Mexico and in the minds of his fellow mineworkers. Napoleon Gomez's story captures the struggle of the human spirit and the fight for freedom in today s global economy. R. Thomas Buffenbarger, International President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers" ""Collapse of Dignity" is an unblinking and unnerving look inside our world's labor struggle. Gomez's incredible account of the fight for justice in the face of seemingly insurmountable adversity is a warning, a lesson, and--ultimately--an impassioned call for international change. Essential reading for any working person." --Thom Hartmann, Author of "The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight" "A riveting story about standing up to big corporations, "Collapse of Dignity" delivers a message for us all: We the People must force the global corporatocracy to serve us, the workers and consumers. The contrast between Chile and Mexico is a striking call to action." --John Perkins, "New York Times" Bestselling Author of "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" and "Hoodwinked" ""Collapse of Dignity" is a powerful testimony to the attack by corrupt politicians and cynical businessmen to silence a union and its leader. Napoleon Gomez, leader of the mining and metalworkers' union Los Mineros, gives a compelling account of the events that followed the industrial homicide... The global trade union movement continues to support this courageous fight for free and independent unionism in Mexico, and for a better life for all workers and their families. This is what we remain deeply committed to doing by mobilizing our forces all over the world." --Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union "Napoleon is a hero because every day he fights for the lives and welfare of the Mexican workers and their families." --Richard Trumka President of AFL CIO "Gomez writes with passion, intelligence and vision from his own extraordinary personal experience. His story of the brutal and deadly conditions of work in Mexico's mines and his sharp analysis of the global system that produces such inhumanity make this book essential for anyone who wants to understand how the global economy really works." --Jeff Faux, Founder of the Economic Policy Institute a

#4 Book on The New York Times Monthly Business Bestseller List #9 Book on The New York Times Monthly Political Bestseller List #9 Book on The New York Times Weekly Nonfiction Bestseller List USA Today Bestseller In the early morning hours of February 19, 2006, a sudden blast shook a coal mine in northern Mexico, trapping sixty-five workers in a subterranean tunnel. Napoleon Gomez, head of the fiercely independent union that represented the workers, was appalled by what he found at the scene: labor department inspectors and the company operating the mine had ignored the egregiously hazardous state of the work site and were failing miserably at a rescue effort. Rather than focusing on saving lives, they were busy downplaying the company's role in the collapse and selling false hope to the families camped out at the mouth of the mine. Less than a week after the explosion, Mexico's labor secretary called off the rescue, leaving the lost men to their fates. The senseless tragedy--stemming directly from an insatiable hunger for profits--set off a massive confrontation between the National Miners' Union and the transnational corporations that wield great power in the country's government. Over seven tumultuous years, Gomez waged a battle against Mexico's corrupt politicians and voraciously greedy businessmen, insisting that the mine blast was an "industrial homicide" and that those responsible must be held accountable for it. Told with candor and passion, Collapse of Dignity is Gomez's account of the union's fight, mounted in the face of traitors, armed aggression, death threats, and a political alliance extending all the way up to the presidential residence at Los Pinos. As he fends off absurdly complex legal charges, organizes the resistance from exile in Canada, and uncovers an anti-union conspiracy stretching back to years before the explosion, he only becomes more committed to fighting for the rights of Los Mineros--and by extension the workers of every country. Gomez's story is one of outrage, but also one of hope. Though Collapse of Dignity lays bare sickening injustice and inexcusable aggression against the Mexican working class, it is at its core a fervent call for a global workers' movement that will represent the fundamental rights of every person who works for a living.