by Joe Uehlein
PM Press
6/2/2026, paperback
SKU: 9798887441825
After decades organizing from within the labor establishment, Joe Uehlein realized that winning real climate and economic justice meant moving beyond the limits of traditional labor and environmentalism.
As former secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO's Industrial Division and director of the AFL-CIO's Center for Strategic Campaigns, Joe fought from the inside. But in 2005, he stepped away from the AFL-CIO to found the Labor Network for Sustainability, forging deep alliances between labor, climate, and environmental movements. His vision: transform the labor movement to embrace ecological responsibility--and environmentalism to uplift working-class solidarity.
But Joe's work has never been confined to boardrooms or picket lines. With a guitar in hand, he's shared stages with Pete Seeger and Tom Morello, turning songs into rallying cries and stories into tools for resistance.
Three Roads weaves strategy, memoir, and music into a powerful call to action. Through compelling personal narrative and frontline insight, Joe offers an urgently needed blueprint for bridging movements and pushing boundaries. This is a book for anyone who dreams of a world where working people and the planet thrive together.
Because the road to justice has to walk in more than one direction--and we need all of them.
With a foreword by Si Kahn.
Reviews:
"For the past fifty years, Joe Uehlein has been doing Woody's work, writing songs that tell working folks that there is power in a union. This book is a clarion call to the labor movement, asking them to join the struggle that unites the human race--the battle to save the environment from destruction by rapacious capitalism." -- Billy Bragg, rock poet, singer-songwriter
"Joe Uehlein has put together a powerful life resume as an organizer, activist, and musician. I've had the pleasure of working with him on labor issues, protesting with him at the barricades, and performing with him onstage. He is a true-blue union man and a relentless advocate for justice, and this important book tells his story. In these dark and dangerous times, it's a must read both as inspiration for fighting the good fight and as a blueprint for how to stand up to monolithic power." -- Tom Morello, Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, The Nightwatchman
About the Contributors:
Joseph B. Uehlein is the founder of the Labor Network for Sustainability, which supports climate and labor initiatives. Uehlein had a long career in labor union organization, holding numerous positions, most notably secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO's Industrial Union Department and former director of the AFL-CIO Center for Strategic Campaigns. Uehlein is also a professional musician with nearly fifty years of experience and has played in concerts around the world. He lives in Takoma Park, Maryland.
Si Kahn is singer-songwriter, activist, author, and founder of Grassroots Leadership.