Brothers on the Line

This documentary by filmmaker Sasha Reuther, grandson of labor organizer Victor Reuther, showcases the Reuther family's prominent role in the founding of the United Auto Workers (UAW), offering a straightforward and highly sympathetic view of the rise and fall of union power as related to the American automobile industry. Narrated by Martin Sheen, Brothers on the Line features interviews with auto workers, executives, civil rights leaders, historians, and activists, detailing the story of the Reuther brothers—Walter, Victor, and Roy—who moved from West Virginia to Detroit right before the Great Depression decimated the country. Recognizing the need to protect the rights of unskilled laborers employed by General Motors, Chrysler, and the Ford Motor Company, the Reuthers worked diligently to create a new era of worker empowerment. Not surprisingly, their efforts were unappreciated by many: Walter was assaulted at his home, while Victor was the target of an assassination attempt that left him blind in one eye. Nonetheless, the UAW under the Reuther brothers prevailed and became a driving force in both car manufacturing and in the wider sociopolitical landscape (John F. Kennedy credited the UAW with invaluable assistance in his 1960 election, while Walter Reuther was a financial backer and confidante to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.). Although not a candy-coated profile—notable missteps in the UAW's history include a McCarthy-era purging of suspected Communists, and the absence of African Americans from UAW executive positions during Walter's tenure as boss—this well-researched documentary deservedly celebrates the organization's positive impact on 20th-century history. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)