Bread and Roses: Difference between revisions
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"Only the characters in Bread & Roses are fictional. The inspirational story is true and continues to play out in thousands of workplaces throughout the United States every day. Los Angeles janitors really did engage in this heroic struggle for dignity and economic justice. They won-and keep on winning-by joining forces under the banner of SEIU's Justice for Janitors campaign." | "Only the characters in Bread & Roses are fictional. The inspirational story is true and continues to play out in thousands of workplaces throughout the United States every day. Los Angeles janitors really did engage in this heroic struggle for dignity and economic justice. They won-and keep on winning-by joining forces under the banner of SEIU's Justice for Janitors campaign." | ||
<center> [[Image:PhpmqnVpC.jpg|thumb|Bread and Roses]] </center> | <center> [[Image:PhpmqnVpC.jpg|thumb|Bread and Roses]] </center> | ||
Revision as of 23:19, 11 May 2006
Bread and Roses is the story of three characters and their families. The story begins with Maya being snuck across the US-Mexico border by a group of "coyotes", or migrant smugglers. Maya is taken into care by her older sister Rosa, who obtains Maya a job in Los Angeles as a janitor at the same non-union building which she works at. Soon, Maya meets Sam Shapiro, a coordinator for Justice for Janitors. Sam encourages Maya and the rest of the janitors in her building to protest against their poor wages and work conditions. The supervisor of the building uses scare tactics and fear to attempt to control his employees, but through Maya and Sam's wit, the movement for unionization and justice moves forward. However, in a pivotal moment, Rosa sells out Maya, Sam and the movement. While at first these seems entirely selfish, the true complexity of labor politics is revealed through Rosa's motives. The conclusion of the movie finds Maya and Sam marching along with hundreds of other laborers in Los Angeles proclaiming their battle cry "We want bread, but ROSES too!"
This movie is interesting in many regards. First, it provides a way for the masses to see and understand the struggles of unionization. From Crooked supervisors, money-hungry executives, to police brutality, the dark side of the struggle for justice rears its ugly head. However, it also shows how in spite of this that progress can be made. It also presents an interesting ethical dilemma, proposing a "shade of gray" in Rosa's character in what is seemingly a black/white world.
Finally, this movie is interesting because it is endorsed by Justice for Janitors. SEIU President Andrew L. Stern states:
"Only the characters in Bread & Roses are fictional. The inspirational story is true and continues to play out in thousands of workplaces throughout the United States every day. Los Angeles janitors really did engage in this heroic struggle for dignity and economic justice. They won-and keep on winning-by joining forces under the banner of SEIU's Justice for Janitors campaign."
So, if you need to see something to believe it, check out Bread and Roses to fully understand the complexities of the Justice for Janitors movement!
