Norma Rae Labor Unions and the Power Struggle - 3039 Words

Introduction Labor unions were established as a way for workers’ needs and grievances to be heard by management. According to Fossum (2012), â€Å"forming a union creates a collective voice to influence change at work† (p. 7). The collective voice of workers in a union holds much more power than any single employee’s voice. It can loudly draw attention to mistreatment or abuse of workers. The organized collective voice of workers demands to be treated in a fair way by its management in terms of wages, hours, benefits, and working conditions. The film Norma Rae (Asseyev, Rose, Ritt, 1979) is based on the true story of textile worker Crystal Lee whose efforts resulted in the establishment of a labor union. The film, set in 1978 rural†¦show more content†¦The mill supervisors and on-site doctor minimize worker health concerns and expect the work to go on. Reuben, a union organizer from New York, attempts to convince the workers that they deserve better working conditions, decent wages, and cost of living raises. However, his message is not well received. Many of the workers, such as Norma Rae’s father, have negative perceptions of the union as being communist, crooks, and agitators. In addition, the workers fear the consequences of standing up to the mill’s management and losing the only livelihood they know. This slowly changes when their fellow mill worker Norma Rae takes up the union case with Reuben. Even prior to Reuben’s arrival, Norma Rae was outspoken about mill’s poor working conditions. In an attempt to silence her complaints, management gives her a raise and promotes her to a supervisory position. She is not comfortable pressuring the workers, including her own father, to work at levels and speeds beyond their capabilities. As former co-workers and friends turn their backs on her, Norma Rae defiantly returns to her former job in the weaving room in a stand against management. She actively begins working with Reuben and wearing a union button to work. The organization of the workers is not an easy task for Norma Rae and Reuben. As a familiar insider at the mill, Norma Rae is better able than Reuben to persuade her fellow workers to sign union cardsShow MoreRelated Norma Rae Essay1517 Words   |  7 PagesNorma Rae In the film Norma Rae, the textile workers were unsatisfied with many aspects of their Capitalistic work environment. They fought to form a union so that they could change the undesirable characteristics to better meet their needs. Political, environmental and cultural processes all played a part in the workers struggle to form an effective union. Unlike the film, Matewan, in which the coal miners worked under feudal control, the employees of the O.P. HenleyRead MoreNorma Rae Leadership1614 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract Norma Rae is a true story set in a Southern mill-town in the summer of 1978. Norma Rae and the mill workers were victimized by the mill owners - low, unfair wages, and poor health conditions from the work in the textile mill. During this time Norma was fearful for her familys health and becomes aware of a labor organizer trying to bring the union to the mill. Norma decides to join forces with the union organizer, Reuben Warshosky. Management saw her as a threat and ordered her out of theRead MoreNorma Rae and Labor Issues1478 Words   |  6 Pagesmovie Norma Rae is about a southern mill worker who helps revolutionize and unionize a small town. The conditions at the southern cotton textile factory were intolerable and management was abusive. In the summer of 1978, a union organizer from New York came to this small town and approached the employees at the cotton factory to start a union. The union organizer, the mill workers and the management of the factory had very different perspec tives as to the ramifications of starting a union. Read More Portfolio Project – Norma Rae Essay1990 Words   |  8 Pages to lie to you, to cheat you and to take away from you what is rightfully yours - your health, a decent wage, a fit place to work† (Asseyev, Rose, Ritt, 1979). In the movie Norma Rae, union organizer Reuben Warshovsky, delivered this powerful speech to workers at the O.P. Henley textile mill. He warned them that without union representation they would continue to be taken advantage of by management. The movie, set in 1978, showed textile workers in a small, southern town who were forced to work long