Standing tall. Women unionize the catfish industry
Description
The boom in Mississippi catfish farming, in the 1980s, required processing plants and hundreds of workers. The mostly black female workforce had to work, in noisy and wet factories for minimum wage, without any benefits, bathroom breaks or recourse if a worker was mistreated. The Mississippi Delta, at the time, was notoriously poor, neglected, and resistant to change. This historical documentary chronicles the risky and difficult effort of a few women working at Delta Pride Catfish to organize a United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) local 1529 at their plant. The 1986 union election victory surprised many locals, especially management at Delta Pride. In 1990, the workers at Delta Pride struck for two months and won better wages and working conditions. The strike established local 1529 as an important player in the catfish industry, with a membership today of 3,000 workers. Rose Turner, Mary Young and Sarah White, who initiated and led local 1529, tell the story with passion and humor.
Runtime
50 min
Creator
Blank, Donald
Subjects
Contributor
Geography
Genre
Date of Publication
2001
Database
Alexander Street
Direct Link
Similar Films
Transforming America. A new economy. Lesson 22
Native land
Minimum wages
Transforming America. A new economy. Lesson 22
Transforming America. A new economy. Lesson 22
Cutting edge communication comedy series. Unions and collective bargaining
OWTU People's Institution. The social wage
An injury to one
Labor and defense
Fighting the tide. Transformation of maritime shipping
OWTU People's Institution. National intervention
Labor's comeback. In-sourcing work at Northwest Airlines
24 days in Brooks
Scott Bernstein interview. Entrepreneurship in the corporate setting
HSA strike 1975