60m; U.S.
Director: Nina Rosenblum
Synopsis (IMDB): Documentary about early 20th-century photographer Lewis Hine, who helped to expose grim working conditions in American factories and mines, especially the abuse and exploitation of children by their employers. Later, he became the official photographer for the construction of the Empire State Building
30m; U.S.
Director: Jason Blalock
Synopsis: In the 1980s, a bloody civil war between the socialist Sandinista government and US-backed Contras ravaged Nicaragua. Despite the danger, thousands of Americans disobeyed White House warnings and traveled to this Central American nation, determined to lend their skills and labour to the revolutionary Sandinista cause. Blalock tells the story of a small group of controversial U.S engineers who went further than anyone expected, and paid the ultimate price.
Contact: http://www.american-sandinista.com/ jcblalock@gmail.com
89m; U.S.
Directors: Leslie and Andrew Cockburn
Synopsis: Tells the compelling story of the housing and financial crisis. It systematically explains what happened with the banks gambling with, and profiting from, other people’s investments, then the film walks through the housing crisis through the stories of specific people that it affected by fraudulent and discriminatory lending practices perpetrated on them. The documentary backs up to the system’s problems of credit default swaps/hedge funds and the role of the insurance companies and their bailout, and ends with the community and health and human problems this has created for the society as a whole.
Contact: Andrew Cockburn amcockburn@gmail.com
98m; U.S.
Director: Barbara Kopple
Synopsis (IMDB): Chronicles the six-month strike at Hormel in Austin, Minnesota, in 1985-86. The local union, P-9 of the Food and Commercial Workers, overwhelmingly rejects a contract offer with a $2/hour wage cut. They strike and hire a New York consultant to manage a national media campaign against Hormel. Despite support from P-9’s rank and file, FCWU’s international disagrees with the strategy. In addition to union-company tension, there’s union-union in-fighting. Hormel holds firm; scabs, replacement workers, brothers on opposite sides, a union coup d’état, and a new contract materialize. The film asks, was it worth it, or was the strike a long-term disaster for organized labor? Won the Oscar in 1990 for Best Documentary.
90m; U.S.
Director: Chris Smith
Synopsis (Wikipedia): American Job is a narrative film about Randy Scott (Randy Russell), a youth caught in the dismal confusion of living and working in the world of minimum wage. The film follows Randy through a number of low-paying, menial jobs including fast food dishwasher, custodian, telemarketer, and factory worker. It highlights the sheer boredom of minimum wage work and is a slightly comical and occasionally depressing look at what life is like in the US minimum wage arena.
75m; U.S.
Director: Frank Capra
Cast: Walter Huston
Synopsis: For twenty-five years, Tom Dickson, the President of Union National Bank, has had the bank, its employees and its clients in his best interest. In turn, his employees and the bank’s clients are fiercely loyal to Tom and the bank. The bank’s Board of Directors have a different view. They accuse Tom of being reckless, especially in being overly liberal in approving what they consider questionable loans. Tom defends his loan policy, stating that money in circulation is what is needed to help the country get out of the depression. The Board will do whatever it needs to to remove Tom from his position. When the bank is robbed of $200,000, one of Tom’s most loyal employees, Matt Brown, the newly appointed assistant head cashier, is implicated as the thief, although Tom believes Matt is innocent
122m; U.S.
Director: King Vidor
Synopsis: Immigrant iron worker winds up owning his own company.
100m; U.S.
Director: John Kirby
Synopsis: Harper’s Magazine editor Lewis Lapham investigates whether America has a ruling class or not
95m; U.S.
Director: Mira Nair and Kristi Jacobson
Synopsis: The Teamster’s Union goes on strike against Overnite Transportation, a nationwide freight company that has resisted unionization. The union, however, faces its own internecine battles as factions inside the organization, one led by James P. Hoffa vie for power. Produced by Barbara Kopple.
15m; U.S.
Synopsis: A series of AFL-CIO promotional pieces on union workers behind the scenes in various industries (Issue 28: Communication; Issue 36: Telephone Linemen; Issue 40: ICBM; Issue 42: Seebees; Issue 43: Aircraft; Issue 45: Shipbuilder; Issue 46: Structural Iron; Issue 50: Television Workers).
THE LABOR FILM DATABASE 