Three Roads: Labor, Music, Ecology

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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 labo r 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. What People Are Saying “Three Roads is both an instruction manual for building campaigns to win big fights and a deeply personal and uplifting memoir. Joe is a true champion for working people and our planet, and he makes the stories of our fight sing off the page.” Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants/Communication Workers of America “Joe Uehlein’s Three Roads chronicles his lifetime of work uniting organizing, music, and progressive politics. No one has done that better or deeper. Listen to the beat, read how labor and the climate crisis belong together, and then be better prepared to live your own journey on the road to justice.” Larry Cohen, former president, Communication Workers of America “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 “Like Woody before him, Joe Uehlein is a musician, a singer, and an organizer. All of his adult life, onstage and on the picket line, he has walked his talk and sung the songs of solidarity and preached the gospel of UNION.” Steve Earle, singer-songwriter “Joe Uehlein’s Three Roads shares his story of learning two of the most important lessons of today: To solve the climate crisis, workers and climate activists need to work together, and it’s a lot more fun doing so with music! Joe knows what he is talking about, having worked on the frontlines of worker organizing, climate activism and making music for decades. His book invites readers to join him diving deep into each and coming out with a deeper appreciation of solidarity and strategy we need to make our movements stronger.” Annie Leonard, author of The Story of Stuff, cofounder, Jane Fonda Climate PAC “The story of an extraordinary life spent making change, from one of the greatest labor organizers of our era. Anyone who has ever asked ‘what can I do’ should read this book—part memoir of compassion and grace; part manifesto for the world we need.” Saket Soni, author of The Great Escape, founder of Resilience Force “There is no one who has so seamlessly combined idealism, activism and music as Joe Uehlein has. He is a once in a generation heir to Woody Guthrie and Phil Ochs and he is also a helluva writer.” Danny Goldberg, president of Gold Village Entertainment, author of In Search of the Lost Chord “Joe Uehlein has lived enough for not just one, but three extraordinary lives. As a labor activist, he has been a tireless advocate for union democracy and progressive politics. When he understood the perils to our earth represented by climate change, he walked away from a big AFl-CIO job to devote himself to sounding the alarm about climate to a hesitant labor movement. Through it all he has used music to convey what speeches alone cannot. In the process Joe has emerged as ‘labor’s troubadour,’ a worthy successor to Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, keeping political folk music alive and teaching upcoming musicians the richness and appeal of this music. If you are seeking inspiration on how to live your life in a meaningful way—start with this book.” John Harrity, president emeritus of the Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs “Whether you are a veteran organizer/activist or new to the labor/social/climate justice movement, you will enjoy Three Roads. Learning union values and the meaning of solidarity during the 1959 Steel Strike as a young kid, being raised on the music of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, Joe Uehlein has spent a life bringing working-class music and culture to the struggles of working people—’the stuff that binds us.’ From organizing in the south, taking on Marc Rich at Ravenswood Aluminum, to being the first labor leader to insist that Unions take climate change seriously, Joe has woven his passion for the labor movement together with his love for music and working class culture with an acute understanding that unions must play a key role with allies to forge a just transition to a fair, equitable, and sustainable world.” Jeff Johnson, former president, Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO “Joe Uehlein is one of our great movement troubadours, organizers and good troublemakers. He brings the vision and commitment and joy with his music to add life and power to our struggles for a better world. This book tells his story, and it should inspire us all to take the action we need to take in these times.” Heather Booth, organizer extraordinaire, Democratic Party consultant “Joe is an unwavering warrior-troubadour for working folks everywhere. If you can listen to his song ‘Sweet Lorain’ without choking up, then you’ll never understand working for a living. Woody Guthrie; Ella Mae Wiggins; Pete Seeger; Rev. Fred Kirkpatrick; AND their heir: JOE UEHLEIN. He is the living symbiosis of labor and environmental—and he doesn’t just sing it: he has lived it in the trenches. I have been a fan forever!” Gary Green, singer-songwriter, member of the California Music Hall of Fame “I’ve worked side by side with Joe Uehlein on some of the great struggles of the day, and I’ve listened to his band make music to help propel those fights. As this great memoir makes clear, he’s the epitome of what our moment demands: a cheerful warrior for a working future!” Bill McKibben, founder 350.org; Third Act 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. Show more