Norma 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. Henley Mill worked amidst a Capitalistic Economy. The key difference between the two, is that the inhabitants of the town of Matewan did not have other choices of employment and the characters in Norma Rae had the ability to go into the free labor market and be active participants, choosing who they wished to work for. Throughout the film there was evidence of other forms of employment in Henleyville. There were jobs in town that required a higher degree of education that the workers in the mill may have received, a schoolteacher or a police officer for example. However, there were various other jobs in town did not require as much training. Some of these other job opportunities included working at the motel or in the local restaurants or bars as a waiter, a waitress, or a bartender. There were attendants at the gas station and workers at the grocery and convenience stores. In addition to these other choices of employment there was also a different economic system that the workers could have chosen to be a part of. Self – Employment existed in Henleyville. When Norma Rae is talking to Sonny Webster, before they went out on a date, they reminisced about when they were younger. “You used to come into my Mama’s bakery,” be remembered. The ...
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...to promote the union without being fired. He explained that she could wear buttons on her shirt, hand out fliers during breaks and other additional freedoms.
Eventually, the workers set aside their inhabitations and voted 373 to 427 in favor of the union. When asked, “What are you gonna do now?” Norma Rae said, “live – what else?” The question that the workers at the O.P. Henley Mill were faced with was not, where to work. They had the freedom to choose their employer. The workforce learned that they did not need to be trapped in an insufficient working environment and that by forming a union they could manipulate the parameters set by the Mill Company, to meet their requests.
Works Cited
West, Andrew. Capitalism.org <http://www.capitalism.org.html>
West, Andrew. Capitalism.org <http://www.capitalsim.org/tour/preamble5.html>
The Stone Mountain Coal Company controlled the processes involving the production, circulation, and distribution of products and services in the town of Matewan. Most of the people in the town were employees of the company and others were in debt to the company through mortgages and loans. Everyone depended on the company for daily necessities such as food and clothing because the company owned the stores in Matewan and because all employees of Matewan were paid in company script which only allowed them to buy in the company stores. Furthermore, their contract said that to buy from any other store would mean immediate discharge from employment. The Stone Mountain Coal company was the only major employer in town. To become self-employed, citizens of Matewan would have needed initial endowments of resources, products and land that were only available at the company's prerogative.
...er their conditions, as workers. Furthermore, unfortunately even with the formation of the union nothing is guaranteed. We see this in Matewan where the union was apparently unsuccessful in its mission. In Norma Rae we, as the viewers, can only hope that the established union would in the end prove to be successful.
The Depression hit the steel industry with a blowing force massively cutting hours and wages and the silence echoed through the mills with massive layoffs leaving them empty for months at a time. Entering the mill was like walking through a “deserted city” and “Leaving them was like coming out of a tomb.” (p.269). With the blame being placed on the rich and powerful because of the outspoken way they were handling the devastating hit to the mills, the worker became very upset sparking the movement for a union.
The Pullman Strike of 1894 was the first national strike in American history and it came about during a period of unrest with labor unions and controversy regarding the role of government in business.5 The strike officially started when employees organized and went to their supervisors to ask for a lowered rent and were refused.5 The strike had many different causes. For example, workers wanted higher wages and fewer working hours, but the companies would not give it to them; and the workers wanted better, more affordable living quarters, but the companies would not offer that to them either. These different causes created an interesting and controversial end to the Pullman strike. Because of this, questions were raised about the strike that are still important today. Was striking a proper means of getting what the workers wanted? Were there better means of petitioning their grievances? Was government intervention constitutional? All these questions were raised by the Pullman Strike.
Throughout the history of the United States of America the continuation of misfortunes for the workforce has aggravated people to their apex, eventually leading to the development of labor unions.
The early 1900s was a time of many movements, from the cities to the rural farms; people were uniting for various causes. One of the most widespread was the labor movement, which affected people far and wide. Conditions in the nation’s workplaces were notoriously poor, but New York City fostered the worst. Factories had started out in the city’s tenements, which were extremely cramped, poorly ventilated, and thoroughly unsanitary. With the advent of skyscrapers, factories were moved out of the tenements and into slightly larger buildings, which still had terrible conditions. Workers were forced to work long hours (around 12 hours long) six hours a day, often for extremely low pay. The pay was also extremely lower for women, who made up a large portion of the shirtwaist industry. If a worker were to openly contest an employer’s rule, they would be promptly fired and replaced immediately. Also, strength in numbers did not always work. Managers often hired brutal strikebreakers to shut movements down. The local police and justice were often of no help to the workers, even when women were being beaten. At the time, the workers needs were not taken seriously and profit was placed ahead of human life. This was not just a struggle for workers’ rights; it was also a movement for the working class’ freedom.
Employees had to endure poor pay and unsafe working conditions. As described by Raynor (2009), the company J.P. Stevens paid poverty wages and provided deplorable working conditions in the mills; workers lost fingers, had to inhale cotton dust, and some lost hearing because of the constant drone of the deafening machines. Norma Rae knew that she, her family, and her coworkers deserved more out of their employer for the work they were doing (Raynor, 2009). As Fossum (2012) points out, “employees are more likely to unionize as job dissatisfaction increases” (p. 9). This becomes the case in the movie; dissatisfaction continues to grow, and with some leadership, the union finally gets voted in. The miserable working conditions, and leadership, were clearly portrayed in the movie. One worker said at point he had a window at his station but it was sealed off to have that feeling of being closed in. The biggest concern/example seemed to happen when Norma Rae’s father was having problems feeling his arm but was told by the floor supervisor to continue working; he subsequently passed out and died. An important part to remember about union representation is that “dissatisfaction alone does not automatically mean a union organizining campaign will result or a representation election will be won” (Fossum, 2012, p. 10). As
Beginning in the late 1700’s and growing rapidly even today, labor unions form the backbone for the American workforce and continue to fight for the common interests of workers around the country. As we look at the history of these unions, we see powerful individuals such as Terrence Powderly, Samuel Gompers, and Eugene Debs rise up as leaders in a newfound movement that protected the rights of the common worker and ensured better wages, more reasonable hours, and safer working conditions for those people (History). The rise of these labor unions also warranted new legislation that would protect against child labor in factories and give health benefits to workers who were either retired or injured, but everyone was not on board with the idea of foundations working to protect the interests of the common worker. Conflict with their industries lead to many strikes across the country in the coal, steel, and railroad industries, and several of these would ultimately end up leading to bloodshed. However, the existence of labor unions in the United States and their influence on their respective industries still resonates today, and many of our modern ideals that we have today carry over from what these labor unions fought for during through the Industrial Revolution.
Norma Rae was seen in many different ways by people. In the beginning Norma's qualities were different than those at the end. Norma Rae changes and it is for the better. One of Norma's bad qualities is that she is dependent on men. George is very abusive towards her, like when they were in the hotel room and he slapped her across the face. Her father treats her as a little girl. He is always in her business; he always wants to know where she is going, when she is coming home and who she is seeing. Norma has some good qualities; she is a very hard worker. She works at a textile factory for many hours and then she goes home and cleans and takes care of the house. She is also a very outspoken woman. If she doesn't like someone or something they say, she lets them know how she feels about it. Her boss is a major jerk. He doesn't care about their health or feelings. To give an example, when her and mother went to him because her mother couldn't hear, he was not interested, and he just brushed them off. Norma is a strong woman, but people just take advantage of her. Changes. Norma Rae definitely went through many changes. Ruben I think was her first change. Ruben was the young man from the union. I think she made her first change when he told her "your too smart for what's happing to you." I believe this is when she gave her self more respect. Ruben got her to also join the union. She than starts getting relay involved in it and during all this she meets a man named sonny. Sonny and her become very close and fall in love and end up marring. She persuades her other co-workers to also join the union. One day her father dies. This was a major change in Norma's life. She loved her father dearly. If things couldn't get better, she is fired from her job. Norma was outraged by this, and caused a scene. She stood on a machine and held up a sign that read "union." Following, where her co-workers, they all shut down their machines and quite working. She was then put in jail for this. This was a total embarrassment to her and her family. She was very angry at herself.
A common trend was always that wages were not keeping up with the cost of living. Many could not make ends meet and were struggling to simply survive. They started to question the effectiveness of the National Recovery Administration (N.R.A.). It was unfair to them that businesses were still making enormous profits while its employees were forced into poverty. Pushing for a unionization was disowned by factories where they threatened to close their doors if a worker’s union formed. Some thought businesses were crooked and angled themselves to take advantage of the economy to increase their
This film is based on the real life story of Crystal Lee Sutton and her involvement with Ruben Warshovsky and the organization of the textile workers at the J.P. Stevens Company in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina (Labor Films). Sally Field plays the lead role of Norma Rae (Crystal Lee Sutton) fighting poor working conditions at O. P. Henley Company in 1978. This company is a southern textile mill, working with a union organizer to overcome pressure from management, implied dangers, and the struggle to organize her fellow employees. Although, the film is very entertaining, there are many examples of labor and management interactions including unfair labor practices by management, unfair labor practices by the union, and the procedural process of unionization process.
Before I took this class I had heard about unions in workplaces but did not know exactly what they were. In the museum it was said that the black Pullman Porter employees were able to form a union for the first time. When these employees met in secrecy to talk about their working conditions they were already a union; an informal union. In now days, they did not have to be recognized by their employer as a union to be a union. The Pullman Porters were coming together in solidarity as a brotherhood; standing together in strengthening numbers.
Throughout American history, labor unions have served to facilitate mediation between workers and employers. Workers seek to negotiate with employers for more control over their labor and its fruits. “A labor union can best be defined as an organization that exists for the purpose of representing its members to their employers regarding wages and terms and conditions of employment” (Hunter). Labor unions’ principal objectives are to increase wages, shorten work days, achieve greater benefits, and improve working conditions. Despite these goals, the early years of union formation were characterized by difficulties (Hunter).
Unions have an extensive history of standing up for workers. They have advocated rights of steelworkers, coal miners, clothing factory employees, teachers, health care workers, and many others. The labor movement is based on the idea that organized workers as a group have more power than individuals would have on their own. The key purpose of any union is to negotiate contracts, making sure workers are respected and fairly compensated for their work. “In theory” unions are democratic organizations, resulting in varying inner authority. Workers look for security within a job a...
Workers did become "one" and worked well together as "one" but did not succeed as "one". Even throughout lock-outs and strikes, they were suppressed by government power and corporation rule. The power they had hoped to gain as they united wasn’t strong enough to overcome the arbitrary rule and omnipotence of corporations and the government. Miseries of their laborious life continued as hours remained long, wages remained low, conditions remained unsafe, and workers remained disheartened.