"As a young married woman in the 1930s, Maida Springer went to work for a garment shop and joined Local 22 of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. This was the first step in what would be a remarkable career in national and international union politics. She began by helping to organize new members as part of the strike committee and soon was being sent to settle prices between workers and managers. Springer's talent for organization and negotiation was quickly recognized and in 1943 she became the educational director of Local 132. Rising into the ranks of the AFL-CIO, she frequently represented American unions internationally, and ultimately became one of the most influential labor envoys to emerging African nations." "From the Great Depression to World War II, from the early Civil Rights Movement to the Cold War and the fall of apartheid, Springer was at the forefront of some of the most dramatic social and political changes of the twentieth century. In Conversations with Maida Springer, this champion for workers' rights shares the story of her personal and professional life."--BOOK JACKET.