Migratory Wheat Harvesters in the Great Plains, 1900-1930

Abstract

In an effort to widen understanding of the migratory agricultural labor, and to place IWW activities in perspective, this paper proposes (a) to study the fluctuating patters of harvest labor, the working conditions of the harvesters, and the interaction between transients and permanent residents; and (b) within the overall context of the harvest, to examine the social dynamics and economic impact of a radical union, the IWW, in a rural society.