Preston Rudy

Preston Rudy serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences at San José State University, teaching courses including Sociology Capstone, Work Power and Leisure, Social Change, Social Action, Political Sociology, and Poverty Wealth and Privilege.

His educational background includes:

• Doctor of Philosophy, Sociology, University of California Davis (2003)
• Master of Arts, Sociology, University of California Davis (1997)
• Bachelor of Arts, History, University of Texas at Austin (1981)

Rudy's research centers on labor movement dynamics, specifically examining organizing strategies through case studies of Justice for Janitors campaigns and Vons grocery strike oral histories. His work investigates how neoliberalism and market fundamentalism reshape working-class politics, with emphasis on evolving cultural frameworks within labor movements and the transformative roles of women and immigrant workers in developing social movement unionism.

His publication 'The Culture of the Labor Movement and of Work in the US' (Sociology Compass, 2009) analyzes the tension between dominant market ideologies and emerging worker-led cultural shifts, documenting how unions adapt cultural strategies to counter market fundamentalism while incorporating diverse worker perspectives.

Professional affiliations include the American Sociological Association, Pacific Sociological Association, Society for the Study of Social Problems, ASA Labor and Labor Movements Section, UC Berkeley Labor Center, and California Labor Federation AFL-CIO, reflecting his deep engagement with labor movement networks and research institutions.