Drawing on both historical and contemporary examples, the authors argue that today's global capitalist system is maintained and structured within a global system of White supremacy. Groups of workers are located within a hierarchically organized, racialized labor system that differentially exploits workers based upon their racialized and gendered location. Dominant racialized labor groups (mainly White/European workers) are in general afforded more privileges than subordinate racialized labor groups (workers of color), who face the denial of basic citizenship rights and higher degrees of exploitation and inferior working conditions.

In a time when union membership is increasingly becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, it is important to understand how race impacts the strategies of contemporary labor struggles. This study explores the racial consciousness of white union members participating in the UFCW grocery workers' strike in Southern California. Using data gathered through in-depth interviews and participant observation, I document the gender-specific racialization of 'scabs' and customers as expressed by white union members through a series of in-depth interviews and participant observation. This study uncovers the myriad ways white supremacy and white racial solidarity are created and maintained in a multiracial labor struggle.