With These Hands

Worker Alexander Brodie is retiring, and while his paperwork is being processed, he reflects on his life and the lives of his comrades. Funded by the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU), the film chronicles the history of garment workers, their sentiments, and tragic disasters—such as the 1911 factory fire that claimed 146 lives. It also explores the union’s turbulent and glorious history, highlighting its near collapse and revival, its impactful general strikes, successful negotiations with factory owners, and the establishment of its own retreat center in Pennsylvania.