- Sep 14, 2011
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I happened to watch a rerun of the movie, Norma Rae and, curious, I looked up the woman who inspired it.
Real 'Norma Rae' dies of cancer after insurer delayed treatment
Inspiration for movie ?Norma Rae? dies at 68 - Business - US business | NBC News
Its old news but now that some politicians are fighting against the fight for decent pay and working conditions are more relevant than ever.
I'm ashamed to say that I never knew who Saul Alinsky was until the lies about him started flying. Then, I looked up his incredible accomplishments for the American working class schlub.
Unless you work in food service, its hard for most of us to imagine working for $1.25 an hour, 10-14 hour days with one 20 minute break for "lunch". That was my first job and it was considered normal. Later, I was very happy to get another nickel or dime "shift differential", two 15 minute breaks as well as a half hour for lunch in an eight hour day. Even later, I got paid insurance paid (but earned less) and a sick day earned for every month I worked without illness.
Those basic working conditions are ours today because of people like Saul Alinskly and Crystal Lee Sutton.
If you haven't read about the work that labor rights activists did for us, I urge you to ignore the lies we hear now about them. For example, I've read that some politicians say that Alinsky was a Communist when, in FACT, he was against Communism. (When I googl'd him, I came across links saying he was Communist but Free Speech TV showed a documentary that included footage of Alinsky speaking agains Communism.) He was a community organizer, and gawd knows we need more people who are committed to their own neighborhoods in the way Alinsky (yes, and Obama) were.
The documentary I saw:
The Democratic Promise: Saul Alinsky and his Legacy is a 1999 documentary produced and directed by Bob Hercules and Bruce Orenstein. Narrated by Alec Baldwin, the film shows how Alinsky championed new ways to organize the poor and powerless that created a backyard revolution in cities across America. In this clip, Baldwin tells the story of Alinskys help in organizing the black community in Rochester, NY.
Alinsky fought against child labor and the horrors of sweat shops and more. If not for him and others like him, we would all be working in the same conditions as we now see in Bangladesh.
Alinsky and Sutton were true American heroes and we need more like them.
Real 'Norma Rae' dies of cancer after insurer delayed treatment
Inspiration for movie ?Norma Rae? dies at 68 - Business - US business | NBC News
Its old news but now that some politicians are fighting against the fight for decent pay and working conditions are more relevant than ever.
I'm ashamed to say that I never knew who Saul Alinsky was until the lies about him started flying. Then, I looked up his incredible accomplishments for the American working class schlub.
Unless you work in food service, its hard for most of us to imagine working for $1.25 an hour, 10-14 hour days with one 20 minute break for "lunch". That was my first job and it was considered normal. Later, I was very happy to get another nickel or dime "shift differential", two 15 minute breaks as well as a half hour for lunch in an eight hour day. Even later, I got paid insurance paid (but earned less) and a sick day earned for every month I worked without illness.
Those basic working conditions are ours today because of people like Saul Alinskly and Crystal Lee Sutton.
If you haven't read about the work that labor rights activists did for us, I urge you to ignore the lies we hear now about them. For example, I've read that some politicians say that Alinsky was a Communist when, in FACT, he was against Communism. (When I googl'd him, I came across links saying he was Communist but Free Speech TV showed a documentary that included footage of Alinsky speaking agains Communism.) He was a community organizer, and gawd knows we need more people who are committed to their own neighborhoods in the way Alinsky (yes, and Obama) were.
The documentary I saw:
The Democratic Promise: Saul Alinsky and his Legacy is a 1999 documentary produced and directed by Bob Hercules and Bruce Orenstein. Narrated by Alec Baldwin, the film shows how Alinsky championed new ways to organize the poor and powerless that created a backyard revolution in cities across America. In this clip, Baldwin tells the story of Alinskys help in organizing the black community in Rochester, NY.
Who is Saul Alinsky? | BillMoyers.com
Alinsky fought against child labor and the horrors of sweat shops and more. If not for him and others like him, we would all be working in the same conditions as we now see in Bangladesh.
Alinsky and Sutton were true American heroes and we need more like them.
