Film: Salt of the Earth

6pm at the USW Local 9460 office in Suite 202, 2002 London Road in Duluth

Made over six decades ago by blacklisted film workers, Salt of the Earth was the "first feature film ever made in the US of labor, by labor, and for labor". More than that, it was "a film that does not tolerate minorities but celebrates their greatness".

Synopsis: At New Mexico's Empire Zinc mine, Mexican-American workers protest the unsafe work conditions and unequal wages compared to their Anglo counterparts. Ramon Quintero helps organize the strike, but he is shown to be a hypocrite by treating his pregnant wife, Esperanza, with a similar unfairness. When an injunction stops the men from protesting, however, the gender roles are reversed, and women find themselves on the picket lines while the men stay at home!