Today is Labor Day in the United States, but workers on both sides of the Atlantic have been fighting mightily this year for better pay, better treatment on the job, and better security in their work. From the Writers Guide of America to Starbucks baristas in the US to railroad workers and NHS doctors in the UK, industrial action on a scale unseen in perhaps decades is remaking economic landscapes.
Such events are, of course, rife with personal and cultural drama, and movies have not been shy about depicting the plight of ordinary workers, though these sorts of social-justice stories have been few and far between in recent years.
What are some great movies about unions and the fight for workers’ rights?
My pick is 1979’s Norma Rae, in which Sally Field — who won an Oscar for her performance — plays a worker in a North Carolina cotton mill who organizes a union for the mistreated workforce there. I haven’t seen this since long before I started reviewing films, but I have fond memories of it. And it would be a perfection addition to my Movies for the Resistance list.
I second the rec of Pride (2014), for its embrace of solidarity. I also greatly appreciate that it’s a queer-centered movie set in the 1980s that is triumphant, a celebration of our queer elders, and not solely tragic about all they suffered. The scene where the Welsh women sing “Bread and Roses” is so touching, also.
I'm a big fan of Pride (2014). I think it captures the concept of solidarity very, very well, and it's a delightful movie to boot. It may not be as straightforward (no pun intended) of a "union" film but I certainly think it counts
I like Harlan County, USA. I also like Sorry to Bother You, but I think that movie showcases the fantasy of what labor rights means whereas Harlan County USA represents the reality.
I second the rec of Pride (2014), for its embrace of solidarity. I also greatly appreciate that it’s a queer-centered movie set in the 1980s that is triumphant, a celebration of our queer elders, and not solely tragic about all they suffered. The scene where the Welsh women sing “Bread and Roses” is so touching, also.
I'm a big fan of Pride (2014). I think it captures the concept of solidarity very, very well, and it's a delightful movie to boot. It may not be as straightforward (no pun intended) of a "union" film but I certainly think it counts
I like Harlan County, USA. I also like Sorry to Bother You, but I think that movie showcases the fantasy of what labor rights means whereas Harlan County USA represents the reality.