Organizing America

Remember the scene in Norma Rae when Sally Field rallies the textile workers to strike? There wasn't a lumpless throat in the theater. While not quite as exciting, Organizing America does a good job of tracing the history of the labor union movement in America. Although we think of Dickens' England when we hear of debtor's prisons and oppressive child labor practices, these features were as much a part of the American industrial landscape as the British one. Combining interviews with current labor leaders and archival footage, the film traces the rise of the industrial working class during the 1800's, the abuses of unregulated capitalism, and the emergence of the AFL (American Federation of Labor) and CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations) to meet the needs of guild and factory workers, respectively. The AFL-CIO merger in 1955 doubled the strength of the unions as they continued to advance the interests of workers in post-WWII America. A good historical treatment, Organizing America is recommended for junior and senior high school libraries as well as larger public library collections. (R. Pitman)