My co-worker, who I would consider like-minded to myself, strongly recommended the work of Studs Terkel. Studs is a left-leaning radio historian and has written a number of books, including Working:People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do.

Now, I haven't read the book myself, but I know from WORD's files on work that people talking about their jobs usually makes good reading [link from Cardhouse].