As a union worker, and growing up in a union family, I’ve always been fond of films about the labor movement in general, and sharing them with others. I feel kos is a natural place to do this.
I thought I’d start out with a less well known film, one that I’ve only seen recently for the first time, and it is a gem. 1954’ Salt of the Earth is a film based on the Empire Zinc Miners Strike in New Mexico that began less than a few years before the film was made, and is told from the narrated perspective of a miner’s wife.
This film stands out for two reasons, and the first is its quality. It was produced and financed by the union itself, using only a handful of professional actors, while the rest of the roles, including some main characters, were played by local union members and their families.
The second reason is just how progressive it is, and entertaining to boot, especially for a film that is 68 years old. Some of the dialog is in Spanish, but the film was made primarily for English speakers. A rudimentary knowledge of Spanish vocabulary, including for example trabajar y trabajadores (work and workers) and hombres y mujeres (men and women), can certainly enrich the viewing experience, but is not necessary to enjoy it.
If you don’t have time to watch now, definitely put it aside for later. Its worth it.
The workers of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers Local 890 were primarily Mexican-American. The women of their community, who they came to call sisters, and their hard work and dedication, proved to be the most potent and decisive factor in this true story of a long, bitter, hard-won labor strike. It shows the real struggle of the daily life of mining families not so long ago. It shows the real sacrifices made by these brave people in the ongoing struggle for all workers. It was made by the union, an organization with a vested interest and responsibility to tell it like it is, and indeed does an excellent job doing so, never romanticizing its virtues, or sanitizing its shortcomings. As a social commentary, it may leave some things to be desired by modern standards, but had society followed examples like the plains spoken values this so matter-of-factly film offers, we would be way farther along than we are some 70 years hence.