Books and films

Burn! / Queimada

In the early 19th century, Sir William Walker arrives in the Portuguese island colony of Queimada to incite a slave uprising among the workers on the sugar plantations. He acts not only in the interests of the British Royal Sugar Company but also on behalf of the leaders of the rebel slaves, José Dolores and his comrades.

Ådalen 31

The story takes place during a historic strike at a paper mill in Adalen, northern Sweden, in 1931. Alongside it unfolds a touching love story between two teenagers.

"The Big Flame" The Wednesday Play episode

This play presents in a dark and energetic manner the story of an unusual form of collective action—the "reverse strike" in Liverpool, when 10,000 dockers occupied the docks and continued working against the will of their employer. Their struggle was further complicated by the union's stance, which did not sanction the action.

À bientôt, j'espère / Be Seeing You

The major strike broke out at Rhodiaceta, a textile factory owned by the Rhone-Poulenc company in the city of Besançon, France. The strike was unusual in its forms because the workers refused to separate the labor dispute from a broader social and cultural agenda.

Why is Mrs B. happy? / Warum ist Frau B. glücklich?

A film representing the movement in German cinema known as "proletarian cinema," which aimed to depict life through the eyes of the exploited classes. Directed by Erika Runge, the story spans 40 years (1928–1968) in the Ruhr region, told from the perspective of ordinary people—miners, workers, and union members.

¡HUELGA! / Strike

An emerging solidarity community on strike: In 1965, Mexican farm workers stood up against the unregulated capitalism in the agricultural sector and the racism of the white land owners.

Those Who Wake up in the Dark / Karanlıkta Uyananlar

The film deals with the struggle of labor of the paint factory workers. Ekrem is a worker in the paint factory.

The Inheritance

The film unfolds a panorama of the struggle for workers' rights—both American and immigrant—ranging from the early 20th century to the 1960s. Many scenes are unfamiliar to contemporary America—sweatshop labor, the darkness of coal mines, textile factories filled with children; the years of the Great Depression and the bloody battles for workers' rights…

Germinal

Yves Allégret, the director, who was once part of Trotskyist circles, is familiar with the theme of solidarity. In the cast: Soviet favorite Jean Sorel ("Belle de Jour") and Claude Brasseur (César winner; "Even Elephants Can Be Unfaithful").

The Organizer

The story of the workers' struggle in a city in northern Italy for better working conditions, revealed through archival material from the late 19th century. Exhausted by 14-hour workdays and social injustice, the weavers of a factory begin a strike.

Pitfall

The worker and his little son goes to a mining town in hopes of getting a job there. Some jerk kills him… but the protagonist keeps living as a ghost, trying to find out who killed him, what happened to the village, and looking for revenge.

A Man for Burning

The film takes us to Sicily in 1947 and focuses on the life and struggle of union organizer Salvatore Carnevale. He strives to mobilize the peasants and agricultural workers to fight against the mafia.

The Allien in the Town / Şehirdeki Yabanc

The story of the engineer Aydın, who opposes the exploitation order in a mine.

Biography- John L. Lewis

An episode of the syndicated “Biography” TV show hosted by Mike Wallace examining the life of UMWA prez & CIO founder John L. Lewis.

The Angry Silence

A young factory worker stands against his colleagues and union members when they decide to initiate a "wildcat" strike (one not sanctioned by the union). He is not forced to join the "collective," but a boycott is organized against him.

Harvest of Shame

I'm All Right Jack

The film is an anti-union satire about trade unions, workers, and bosses. A narrow-minded but honest London dandy, Jack, enters working life and finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place—the capitalists, who are always chasing profit, and the trade unions, emboldened by their impunity.

The Big Operator

The boss, "Little Joe" Brown, appears before the Senate committee investigating criminal activities within unions. One unwanted witness has already been killed by a hitman known as "The Executioner." Two more workers remain, Bill and Fred, who are friends.

Cairo Station / Bab al-Hadid

The filsm tells story of Kinavi, a limping news vendor, and his unfulfilled, vengeful passion for the lovely Hanuma, who sells cold drinks. The drama unfolds against the struggle of the railway porters, led by Abu-Siri, for the formation of their own union.

Chicago Confidential

The secretary-treasurer of the WNB union, Mickey Partos, attempts to meet with the union president, Artie Blane, to hand over evidence that a gang from Al Capone's group is operating under the union's banner. However, Partos is murdered, and Blane is falsely accused of the killing.

Edge of the City

A young drifter, Axel, gets a job in the crew of dangerous and corrupt Charlie Malik. He soon experiences the full brutality of a crooked union.

The Garment Jungle

Walter Mitchell, the owner of the New York clothing company "Rockston Fashions," pays gangster Artie Ravidge to prevent the women's tailor union from establishing a branch in his company. The thugs unleash real terror in "Rockston," extorting blood money from anyone sympathetic to the union, whether it's a simple worker or one of Mitchell's business…

The Pajama Game

A new manager, Sid Sorokin, arrives at the "Sweet Dreams!" pajama factory. There, he meets Babe Williams, a representative of the grievance committee.

Strike in Town

The threat of a strike nobody wants, but which everyone seems powerless to avert, lends suspense to this story of events leading to a deadlock in negotiations between the management and employees of a furniture factory. Staged against the background of a small one-industry town, this film shows the normal processes of collective bargaining common to…

The Red Glow over Kladno / Rudá záře nad Kladnem

The First World War has ended and soldiers are returning home from all the front-lines. Among them is Toník, whose wife and children are waiting in Kladno, as is his work in the secretariat of the Social Democratic Party.

1905 год

The five-part film addresses the events of the First Russian Revolution. Even though it presents a polished Soviet interpretation of the events, a series of plots related to the labor movement, from Bloody Sunday on January 9th to the armed uprisings in December, generates real interest.

Celuloza

A black-and-white drama in the style of socialist realism, set in bourgeois Poland of the 1920s. A rural boy, Szczęsny, tries various jobs to help his family escape poverty, but his efforts are in vain.

On the Waterfront

The film focuses on union violence and corruption among longshoremen. There is a trade union mafia and brotherhood, as well as beliefs in gods and love.

Salt of the Earth

One of the main characters in the film, Ramón, is a committed union activist and one of the driving forces behind the strike. Throughout the film, the owners of the company managing the mine try every possible means to suppress the strike—provocations, strikebreakers, tear gas, arrests—but the united struggle of the miners and their wives ultimately…

Dues and the Union

The importance of the regular payment of union dues and how they keep a union going is told through the story of a young pipefitter. New to the trade and to his responsibilities as a union member, Frank Weston found there was much to learn about both.