UE/Wells
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
UE/Wells follows an organizing drive by the United Electrical Workers Union at the Wells Foundry in Chicago. The multi-ethnic work force of Polish, Arab, Jewish, Hispanic and African American men and women unite together despite the company's efforts to use race as a wedge to divide them.
Citation
Main credits
Blumenthal, Jerry (Producer)
Blumenthal, Jerry (Director)
Quinn, Gordon (Producer)
Quinn, Gordon (Director)
Brzostowski, Guillermo (Producer)
Brzostowski, Guillermo (Director)
Distributor subjects
Economics; Labor Studies; Politics; U.S. History; Film History; Documentaries; Social Studies; Race and RacismKeywords
WEBVTT
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.000
[sil.]
00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:18.000
[sil.]
00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:39.999
Union, because the employers over there,
00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:44.999
they get a rich man.
00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:49.999
Me poor. I tell in Spanish.
00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:54.999
We got blacks been there
00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:59.999
and the only thing they
do is drive the truck.
00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:04.999
Sweep broom. Sweep the broom, (inaudible). Man, I’ve
been in the shop there, might be 20 years, 15 years,
00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:09.999
you seen job (inaudible) really he wanted
the job, (inaudible) get this man the job,
00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:14.999
you went to the office three or four
times, (inaudible) for the job,
00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:19.999
but they won’t give to you.
Human rights for everybody.
00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:28.000
[non-English narration]
00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:44.999
Once you hit that clock, they
treat just like a child.
00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:49.999
They don’t respect you as a man. Right.
00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:54.999
[sil.]
00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:59.999
It’s to organize the unorganized.
00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:04.999
That’s what this thing is all about.
How much will the union get us?
00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:09.999
We always said to you, the union can’t get you a damn thing. We
always said that, but through the union is what you can get.
00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:14.999
We brought these people out here, which have been
struggling in these shops down through the years,
00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:19.999
fighting every two years, every three years
00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:24.999
to improve on their situation. Now,
if you take a look at these people,
00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:29.999
they’re workers, just like you. Garbo(ph) has
worked in his shop longer than most of you are old.
00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:34.999
Now, he looks like he’s 39, but he’s
been in the plant for 39 years.
00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:39.999
(inaudible) 20 problems, we (inaudible)
and nine times out of ten,
00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:44.999
we get it settled on the first step. (inaudible) stop production. No, no, no! They
don’t want nothing to interfere with that. Where you guys were working before
00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:49.999
the (inaudible) union?
00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:54.999
Same place and it was a different
union, Local 24. Which one is better?
00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:59.999
Which one is better? UE! UE, ah?
Never… (inaudible) Local 24, run.
00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:04.999
I never regret today that
because I’m a union member.
00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:09.999
See, in this place it’s not only hot,
00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:14.999
it’s dangerous and it’s unsafe.
So we need a nurse.
00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:19.999
They said, no, until two or three die,
then I will start thinking about a nurse.
00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:24.999
Well, did they say that to you? That’s right.
What’s the matter with those people in that shop.
00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:29.999
Well, see, that’s the difference, that’s the difference
with having a union and no union. They tell you,
00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:34.999
there’s the door. They
tell us there’s the door,
00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:39.999
let’s go downtown and find out
what door is going to swing.
00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:44.999
Sometimes you get it, sometimes you can’t. I’m not gonna tell anybody
that you’re gonna get everything right away, because you are not.
00:04:45.000 --> 00:04:49.999
I did my picket duty in the daytime and I
worked at night. At first you get the union in
00:04:50.000 --> 00:04:54.999
and then you gotta fight for everything,
you know. And we’ve been in since ‘44
00:04:55.000 --> 00:04:59.999
and I’m fighting every day, so is (inaudible). Go into that shop,
stay with the issues, and just get around all of the other workers
00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:04.999
and we just gotta hold it just two more days,
do not be misled on the question of promises
00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:09.999
and what have you, because the company is
gonna do everything that they can within
00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:14.999
the next 18 to 24 hours to
change your mind into confusion.
00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:19.999
Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.
Thank you very much.
00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:24.999
Excuse me.
00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:29.999
We have a meeting in the park, you know, just
before you get to the Holiday Inn. I’ll come.
00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:35.000
You know where that is? We’ll see
you over there, ah? See you.
00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:59.999
Here’s… This is Stuart (inaudible),
eight years there. Manuel.
00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:04.999
They raised a question
at the company meeting
00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:09.999
that you guys are striking all the time.
00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:14.999
You want to tell him how it works down there and what’s…? I
have been there eight years and there have been no striking.
00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:19.999
They say, a year ago. The company lawyer said
a year ago they had a strike in (inaudible).
00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:24.999
I know he is a liar, but…
00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:29.999
What it comes down to is
a question of respect.
00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:34.999
When those guys go into negotiations, the
boss knows he’s got the deal with what
00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:39.999
the workers have voted
on and put on the table.
00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:44.999
That’s why they keep going up when
the cost of living keeps going up,
00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:49.999
and you guys keep getting pushed
back down, year in and year out.
00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:54.999
That’s what it comes down to. You
know, we were there meeting Monday
00:06:55.000 --> 00:06:59.999
and I asked him about (inaudible) why you are (inaudible) manufacturing with smaller company, why
don’t (inaudible) so we called in. They won’t give us no information. Yeah. Nobody answered us.
00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:04.999
Nobody answered the phone. You know, I said, well, can I meet you?
(inaudible) call again. And everybody (inaudible) wait, you know,
00:07:05.000 --> 00:07:09.999
but he said, well, we called this morning, we didn’t have no
time right now, you know, we gotta talk about other things.
00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:18.000
[non-English narration]
00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:24.999
Pete, come on up the front here. Shaman. There’ll
be rumors, there have always been rumors.
00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:29.999
It’s the same people that have been telling you, Mr.
Wells would never let one worker in there with a card.
00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:34.999
If Wells catches them, he’d fire them.
There’s not one worker been fired. Not one.
00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:39.999
The choice is yours. And the only way that you
can change your conditions is to get in there
00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:44.999
and do the job in the next couple of days.
It’s in your hands.
00:07:45.000 --> 00:07:49.999
We need one Arabian brother
00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:54.999
from the second shift to be in
there to make sure. Abdulla.
00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:59.999
You think Abdul Hussein. Yeah. There is the first one.
Okay. And we want him stay there to the last vote.
00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:04.999
We gotta win by big. I know we’re
gonna win by big. How big?
00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:09.999
About 75-80%
00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:14.999
[sil.]
00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:19.999
Did you vote? Yeah, I voted today.
And how did you vote? I voted yes.
00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:24.999
[sil.]
00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:29.999
That’s good. Now, who are you taking pictures
of, may I ask you? Who are working for?
00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:34.999
Well, they asked me what I was doing here and they know
and there is an election site cordoned up, that’s all.
00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:39.999
Everybody is talking about this election.
Who’s everybody?
00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:44.999
Everybody in the city for the years that this place
needed a union. Where did you to get that information?
00:08:45.000 --> 00:08:49.999
What are you taking pictures of with that thing, the cars
coming out in there? People in the cars, not the cars itself.
00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:54.999
And what’s the purpose of that?
00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:59.999
To see how they feel about
getting a union in the plant.
00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:04.999
Oh, we could pretty well tell you how
they feel about that. How’s that?
00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:09.999
Ah? How do they feel? Well… Yeah. What is this thing
you have here? Recorder? This is a microphone.
00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:14.999
I hope you have ways of protecting
that, you know. Did you vote already?
00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:19.999
Yeah, we’re gonna win, sure. Because
everybody with the union, with UE.
00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:24.999
Not for a union, because
everybody likes UE union.
00:09:25.000 --> 00:09:33.000
[non-English narration]
00:09:55.000 --> 00:09:59.999
UE! Everybody is happy.
00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:04.999
Everybody happy. Yeah, yeah.
00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:09.999
We win. We want this union. We want this union. You
know, they were saying we want it bad. (inaudible)
00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:14.999
pushed around too long.
00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:19.999
You started it and you’re on the way
now, you’re on the way. John Wilson.
00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:24.999
Yeah. He said, you black ass, you mother
fuckers. How about Jim Barcia? Yeah.
00:10:25.000 --> 00:10:29.999
Now, how long did you worked in the right
wing? I’m gonna kick you the (inaudible).
00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:34.999
We will have to do now, out of those
167 who voted against the union.
00:10:35.000 --> 00:10:39.999
Yeah. You get a 100 behind the contract. Yeah, right. You cannot do
it if you fight with them. They are workers. Yeah, you’re right.
00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:44.999
I’m not gonna fight with them. No,
no fight. That’s hard. It’s okay.
00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:49.999
That’s right. We won. We won (inaudible).
00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:58.000
He’s gonna be drooping all mud.
Right. Yeah!
00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:04.999
Let me say one thing. When we organized,
00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:09.999
a brother here asked me in Spanish,
who is the Jew in this union?
00:11:10.000 --> 00:11:14.999
What they were saying in the factory was
00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:19.999
that this union is a union of communist
Jews. I came from Israel, so I’m a Jew.
00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:24.999
We’re all cousins. Yeah, we’re cousins.
And now we’re brothers.
00:11:25.000 --> 00:11:29.999
And this shit will keep up. They are
going to try to split now the Arabs
00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:34.999
from the Mexicans, the blacks from the white.
Yeah. They don’t make no difference – Arab, Jews,
00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:39.999
black, Mexican. That’ll make no difference.
We’re all human beings.
00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:44.999
We work in the same place.
We work in the same place.
00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:49.999
Hot, dirty, and no good thing.
00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:54.999
UE.
00:11:55.000 --> 00:11:59.999
Yeah, yeah, yeah. We want passion.
00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:04.999
Ah yeah, yeah.
00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:09.999
It’s gotta be your celebration.
If you want to bring your wife…
00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:14.999
Bring everybody. Your friend, everybody.
00:12:15.000 --> 00:12:19.999
Hey, Jim, (inaudible)? At union.
00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:24.999
In the union hall in Chicago (inaudible).
00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:29.999
We are very proud of you being here
and we want to give you the welcome
00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:34.999
to our union, the UE Union in Chicago.
00:12:35.000 --> 00:12:43.000
[non-English narration]
00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:09.999
Well…
00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:14.999
Speak into the mike. We worked on it pretty hard, worked on it for
a long time, we beat the company, now let’s go on with the fight
00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:19.999
and get that contract signed.
00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:24.999
Well, what can I say? I’m proud and I’m
happy that everybody stood my me at times,
00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:29.999
everybody said that I turned against the
union, that I work for the company,
00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:34.999
I never did, and everybody stood by me, and
I’m proud that, and I’m happy for that.
00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:39.999
Look up Jane.
00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:44.999
I want to thank everybody. We beat this company
and we are going to keep on beating them.
00:13:45.000 --> 00:13:49.999
Thank you very much.
00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:54.999
Well, I’m glad to see everybody here today.
00:13:55.000 --> 00:13:59.999
And it was the hardest struggle,
but we won it. Thank you.
00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:04.999
[sil.]
00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:09.999
Thanks for all for helping this.
Now it doesn’t make,
00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:14.999
we got the union and that everything is gonna work.
We get the name now, it’s now time to play the game.
00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:19.999
Thank you.
00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:24.999
They had all the money, but you kept
the people together and you beat them.
00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:29.999
We’re gonna have a long hard fight to get
a contract now. It’s not gonna be easy.
00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:34.999
But I know, just looking around this room today,
you’re gonna succeed, you’re gonna get a contract,
00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:39.999
and we’ll be working together for
many years. Ah… It’s good to see
00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:44.999
that not only the brothers and sisters from
the plant get together, but the families.
00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:49.999
I want you to understand one
thing, is that Mr. Wells
00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:54.999
is not gonna accept what you did to
him Friday, as total destruction
00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:59.999
and lay down and die,
00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:04.999
because… Oh,
00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:09.999
you gotta translate. Yeah. You want it now.
00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:14.999
No, no.
00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:19.999
Okay. He’s gotta translate and I
often walk off and forget about it.
00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:28.000
[non-English narration]
00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:39.999
I say again to you, the only people
that can sell out in this witness,
00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:44.999
is you, yourselves, in a
rank and file union like UE.
00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:49.999
[sil.]
00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:54.999
UE!
00:15:55.000 --> 00:16:03.000
[sil.]
00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:14.999
Everybody happy. Every brother is black,
00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:19.999
every brother Mexican, every brother Jew.
00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:24.999
I don’t care what color
you are, black, white.
00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:29.999
I don’t (inaudible) we’re gonna…
we’re gonna through desert.
00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:34.999
Hey guys, you like the cake? Yeah, they are
good. You know that UE once had a chuchu,
00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:39.999
a little booklet for a chuchu train?
And this is supposed to,
00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:44.999
you know, be a symbol of the UE chuchu,
you get onboard the UE chuchu,
00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:49.999
you know, you get organized,
that’s the first wheel that turns,
00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:54.999
then you sign that contract and keep on fighting the
boss and everything, and the wheels keep spinning
00:16:55.000 --> 00:16:59.999
faster and faster, and the more
steam you put in, the chuchu train,
00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:04.999
the more steam you put in to organizing and
fighting the boss is the more you get. Right?
00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:13.000
[sil.]