Bread and Roses is a new movie by Director Ken Loach about the struggle of invisible office cleaners to gain dignity and respect at work. Lions Gate Films released the movie May 11 in Los Angeles and it opened throughout the United States on June 1 to coincide with SEIU’s national fast for workplace justice and immigration reform on Justice for Janitors Day, June 15, 2001.

The story is fictional, but it is based on the inspirational real-life story of the Los Angeles janitors who beat the odds to win better lives through SEIU’s Justice for Janitors campaign. The film received outstanding reviews at Cannes 2000 and won best foreign film at the Rio de Janeiro Film Festival.

This is a rare chance to see a great "working people’s" film in your neighborhood theater. Many scenes will make you laugh. Many will touch your heart. Overall, Bread and Roses will make you think about the present day barriers that immigrant workers are still confronting to gain a voice at work.

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Bread and Roses, the song striking textile workers sang in the early 1900s — "Hearts starve as well as bodies, give us bread but give us roses" — also inspired the Bread & Roses Cultural Project of Health & Human Service Employees Union 1199/SEIU. The project runs music, art and poetry programs for union members in New York City and its website www.bread-and-roses.com/shopping index.html (800-666-1728) offers posters that include the work of New York City high school students who participated in Bread and Roses student exhibitions.

The site also features posters and books from the "Women of Hope" series, with striking photos of social justice heroines from around the world. Also still available is a 2001 calendar featuring the art of Ralph Fasanella, whose colorful work depicts the joys and trials of working people.

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives: 100 Years of Labor in New York City

120 photographs that powerfully depict New York City’s working people is on display at the George Meany Memorial Archives through June 24. Drawn primarily from the work of labor photographers, the images show the men and women who built New York City during the 20^th century — from sweatshop workers to construction crews building Wall Street. Curators for the exhibit, Debra Bernhardt and Rachel Bernstein, recently wrote a 240-page book that includes many of the photos, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives: A Pictorial History of New York City’s Working People, available at www.nyupress.nyu.edu/labor. Bernhardt, 47, a noted labor archivist, died of cancer in March. For directions and more information, call 301-431-5451.

Union Communication Services

Union Communication Services, Inc. has been a publisher of communications and education tools for unions across North America since 1980 and is a 100% Union Shop. You can order by mail, UCS Books, 165 Conduit St., Annapolis, MD 21401-2512, by phone, 800-321-2545, by fax, 410-626-1353, or visit their website, www.unionist.com. A few selections from their 2001 catalog:

A People’s History of the United States: 1492 — Present by Howard Zinn (688 Pages, Paperback, $18)

BMWE members Paul Beard and Jed Dodd say this is a "must read" for every working man and woman. "It’s size looked a little intimidating," said Paul, "but it’s so easy to read you don’t want to stop until you’re finished. It’s amazing how informative it is."

This amazing account of America is seen through the eyes of its working people, women and minorities. Zinn, a widely respected Boston University professor, turns history on its head with his carefully researched and dramatic recounting of America and its people — not just its bankers, industrialists, generals and politicians.

Zinn looks at things differently. Your old school textbooks probably described how Columbus discovered America. The way Zinn sees it, there was a "European invasion of the Indian settlements in the Americas." Where your old history teacher devoted a sentence or two, at best, to the huge wave of industrial union organizing in the 1930s and 1940s, Zinn devotes a chapter. And where your old history book made passing reference to slavery and those who fought it, Zinn describes the real scope and amazing struggle against that loathsome institution.

This book will give you a whole new way of looking at and understanding the world around you.

STRIKE! By Jeremy Brecher (420 pages, Paperback, $22)

This book tells you something your school history books almost certainly did not: how working Americans for the past 125 years have used the strike again and again to win a degree of justice and fair play.

Beginning with the Great Upheaval of 1877 (the railroad strike), STRIKE! tells of the nation’s great strikes and the social and political climates from which they grew. Readers see the evolution of the strike: from a class-wide struggle across industries to a time of collective bargaining in which "workers think of their struggle in terms of their own industry or workplace alone."

Brecher also examines the ever-shifting roles and configurations of unions, from the Knights of Labor of the 1800s, formed in reaction to the elitist trade unions of the day, to the AFL-CIO of the 1990s.

Ending with the 1997 Teamster strike against UPS, STRIKE! illustrates that, throughout recent history, no matter how all encompassing or industry-specific the strike, "the real issue is an attempt by workers to wrest at least a part of the power over their lives away from their employers and exercise it themselves."

Ravenswood: The Steelworkers’ Victory and the Revival of American Labor by Tom Juravich and Kate Bronfenbrenner (245 Pages, Paperback, $15.95)

BMWE member Perry Rapier who has had the "great good fortune of studying under Prof. Bronfenbrenner" of Cornell University, says Juravich’s and Bronfenbrenner’s book "puts you right there; the descriptive writing makes you feel as if you were on the picket line with the workers, feeling their pain and anguish."

This is the dramatic story of a big win for labor: the victory over Ravenswood Aluminum Co. by 1,700 Steelworkers, who won their jobs back after a 20-month lockout in the early 1990s. Unions had been suffering defeat after defeat at the hands of corporate sharks and anti-union politicians in the years leading up to this fight — PATCO, Eastern Airlines and International Paper were just three of the nightmares that flattened the labor movement — and the Steelworkers were determined to draw the line. Using creative tactics that spanned the continent and even the Atlantic ocean, and blessed by a membership that just wouldn’t give up (only 17 members crossed the picket line) the members of USWA Local 5668 won, and won big. Making the story even more interesting, and in fact helping their cause, was the fact that the company was owned by a world-renowned financier, fugitive from justice and white-collar criminal hiding out in Switzerland.

(Marc Rich, pardoned by President Clinton in January, "was the mystery-man-in-exile who controlled the Ravenswood Aluminum Company in Ravenswood, West Virginia. In the middle of the night back in October 1991, Rich’s private army of goons physically ejected hundreds of Steelworkers from their jobs and declared all 1,700 USWA Local 5668 members locked out. Rich’s underlings turned the plant into an armed bunker. Barbed-wire fences, boarded-up windows, an armored train full of hundreds of scabs, stormtroopers with attack dogs, and everything in sight illuminated with searchlights and covered with bullet-proof steel casing. Workers called it Fort RAC."---Chris Townsend of UE in the Labor Party Press, April 2001.)

The unionists’ victory at Ravenswood was a much-needed boost for all of labor and lessons learned during the battle, detailed in these pages, have become an integral part of the union arsenal.

Downsize This! Random Threats from an Unarmed American by Michael Moore (317 Pages, Paperback, $12)

BMWE member Tom McCoy, who was given the book not too long ago by Paul Beard, says Moore’s New York Times bestseller "made him laugh out loud."

With the same biting humor and insight he brought to his movie Roger and Me and television show, T.V. Nation, Michael Moore uses his off-beat investigative and reporting styles to explore the downsizing of the United States and the business and political reasons behind it.

For example, Moore wonders how far some politicians will go for money. He sends campaign contribution checks from bogus organizations like "Satan Worshippers for Dole" to Pat Buchanan, Ross Perot and Bob Dole, to see who’s greedy enough to cash them. Another chapter provides "Corporate Crook Trading Cards" for some of the most notorious CEOs. Learn their favorite leisure activities, their annual pay and how many jobs were trashed under the reign of guys like Nike’s Philip Knight.

Moore considers all the possible causes, from union leadership to Pat Buchanan and President Clinton, in getting you to understand the country’s far-reaching and dangerous economic problems. He also offers suggestions on 10 ways to downsize your boss.

The Legacy of Cesar Chavez

Remembering Cesar: The Legacy of Cesar Chavez, compiled by Ann McGregor and edited by Cindy Wathen, with photographs by George Elfie Ballis, is a personal and moving tribute to the late Cesar Chavez, founder and president of the United Farm Workers. The firsthand accounts from 47 friends, interwoven with black and white photographs, portray a humble, principled man of vision, driven by a passion to improve the lives of farm workers. The first book to receive the endorsement of the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation, the book’s contributors include Coretta Scott King, Martin Sheen, Henry Cisneros, Jerry Brown, Edward James Olmos, UFW staff, the Chavez family, and farm workers themselves. Copies are $25 each and can be ordered from the publisher, Quill Driver Books, by calling 1-800-497-4909.

Labor Heritage Foundation

The Labor Heritage Foundation, which encourages singing, dancing and general merriment in union-building campaigns, offers a well-chosen selection of union-oriented videos and music. Recordings include "Si Se Puede," a 1976 recording of United Farm Worker classics with arrangements and instrumentation by Los Lobos, in Spanish with printed translation. There’s also "Where Have All the Flowers Gone: The Songs of Pete Seeger," with 39 tunes performed by Bruce Springsteen, Ani DiFranco, Bonnie Raitt and others.

Videos range from Norma Rae to such classics as The Salt of the Earth and How Green Was My Valley to historical dramas, including Matewan, John Sayles’ film about the struggles of coal miners in post-World War I West Virginia, to the comic, such as 9 to 5, starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton, who kidnap their sexist boss and take over the department.

You can find these items and many more in the Foundation’s catalog featuring, books, videos, CDs, posters, notecards, buttons and T-shirts with a labor theme. For copies of the catalog call the Labor Heritage Foundation at 202-842-7879 or send an e-mail to laborheritage@erols.com. You can also order items online by going to www.laborheritage.org.

Labor’s Troubadour, the autobiography of union balladeer Joe Glazer, details the life of a union musician who has lifted the spirits of workers for more than a half-century, singing on picket lines, in union halls and at conventions. Glazer worked for the Textile Workers Union of America and United Rubber Workers and helped found the Labor Heritage Foundation, which seeks to strengthen the union movement through music and the arts. Troubadour includes the lyrics to 70 union songs. Available at bookstores or through Collector Records ($25, plus $3 for shipping and handling.) To order, send a check made out to Collector Records, 9225 Wendell St., Silver Spring, MD 20901-3533. For more information, e-mail collectorrecord@hotmail.com.

Powell’s Books

Powell’s City of Books takes up an entire city block and holds a computerized inventory of over a million titles — the largest used and new book selection under one roof in the world. Workers at the mammoth independent bookseller in Portland, Oregon became members of Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 5 last year. If you are unable to travel to Portland to visit the enormous store, you can order online at www.powells.com, by phone toll-free at 866-201-7601 or mail at Powell’s City of Books, 1005 West Burnside, Portland, Oregon 97209.

In addition to many other books the AFL-CIO recommended for gift giving last December were the following working family-friendly novels, equally good for summer leisure reading:

Dreamland, by Kevin Baker, involves a gangster who falls in love with a seamstress and union agitator on the Lower East Side in the era of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. $6.99. HarperCollins.

Payback, by Thomas Kelly, is a thriller set amid the construction boom in New York City in the 1980s. $6.99. Fawcett Crest.

Thunder on the Mountain, by David Poyer, centers around an accident at a Pennsylvania oil company in 1936 that ultimately involves the workers, the Congress of Industrial Organizations, Pinkertons and Eleanor Roosevelt. $6.99. St. Martins.

Death & Blintzes, by Dorothy Rosen and Sidney Rosen, showcases Belle Appleman, a garment worker and union member who helps the Boston police track down the murderer of a fellow worker in 1936. $10.95. Academy Chicago Publishers.

The Unquiet Earth, by Denise Giardina, is a tale of love, union organizing and politics that takes place in an Appalachian mining town during the Depression. $6.99. Ivy Books.

God’s Bits of Wood, by Sembene Ousmane, translated by Francis Price, takes place during a 1947 railroad workers’ strike in French-controlled Niger. $6.95. Heinemann.

Pat the Bunny, the tale of a lovable fuzzy rabbit, is published by Golden Books, a company where workers have a voice on the job with UAW Local 1007. $6.99. Ages newborn-3. Golden Books (www.goldenbooks.com) also offers dozens of other titles children will enjoy.

Clack Clack Moo: Cows That Type, by Doreen Cronin, features bovine justice-seekers who type up their demands for extra blankets to ward off the cold night air. When Farmer Brown refuses, the cows go on strike. $15. Ages 3-7. Simon and Shuster.

This book is also available from Union Communication Services and their catalog description reads as follows: A delightful children’s book with a union message! It seems that Farmer Brown has a problem. All day long he hears click, clack, moo ... click, clack, moo, coming from the cow barn. What’s all this about? He gets the answer when the cows send a note to the farmhouse. They’re cold, they say. No milk, they say, until they get electric blankets.

No way, says Farmer Brown. But then the hens join in, and before you know it the ducks are acting as mediators. Then the ducks start getting their own ideas ... but we don’t want to spoil it for you. Let’s just say that Farmer Brown gets a lesson in labor-management relations and union (or is that moonion?) Solidarity, in a way your kids (you, too!) will get a real kick out of. Beautifully illustrated.

Riot, by Mary Casanova, follows the life of Bryan, a sixth-grader who is caught in a web of conflicting family loyalties when his father goes on strike. Ages 9-12. $4.95. Hyperion Paperbacks.

A. Philip Randolph: Labor Leader, by Sally Hanley, looks at the life of the legendary African American leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Ages 9-12. $9.95. Chelsea House Publishers.

Dolores Huerta, by Frank Huerta Perez, profiles the co-founder of the United Farm Workers as part of the Contemporary Hispanic Americans series. Ages 9-12. $4. Raintree Steck-Vaughn.

Lyddie, by Katherine Patterson, a coming-of-age story, explores the life of a farm girl from Vermont who workers at a Lowell textile factory in the 1840s. Young adults. $5.99. Puffin.

Big Annie of Calumet: A True Story of the Industrial Revolution, by Jerry Stanley, profiles Annie Clemenc, who led protesters and inspired workers when miners struck against the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company in 1913 in Michigan. Young adults. $19. Crown Publishers.

Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II, by Penny Colman, explores the lives of the millions of women who were recruited to work at nontraditional jobs in defense plants, factories and offices. All ages. $8.95. Crown Publishers.

Kids on Strike!, by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, tells the stories of children who organized to improve their own working conditions in the early 1900s. All ages. $20. Houghton Mifflin.

Labyrinth Books

Readers seeking a unionized bookstore now can order directly from Labyrinth Books, www.labyrinthbooks.com, where UNITE Local 169 in New York City recently organized 26 workers at the bookseller’s stores and warehouses. Its website, which lists new releases by topic, enables users to place special orders and search for any of the 125,000 titles the company offers. Instructors can provide course textbook lists online and the company makes the books available for students. Labyrinth joins Powell’s books as a union-friendly Internet shopping option.

Magazines Make Great Gifts

Magazines are gifts that keep on giving throughout the year.

Get on the Right Track — Subscribe to the Railroad Evangelist, 7045 Koldyke Place, Fishers, Indiana 46038-2735. Quarterly. One-year subscription: $8.

WorkingUSA: The Journal of Labor and Society, 800-541-6563 or www.mesharpe.com. Quarterly. One-year subscription: $35.

Dollars and Sense, a bimonthly magazine of economic issues and opinions from a worker-oriented point of view, 800-783-4903 or www.dollarsandsense.org. One-year introductory subscription: $18.95.

Labor’s Heritage, a richly illustrated quarterly magazine that celebrates the history of workers’ struggles for respect and dignity on the job, 301-431-5457 or www.georgemeany.org. One-year subscription: $19.95.

The Nation, 800-333-8536 or www.TheNation.com. 47 issues a year. One-year subscription: $36.

Mother Jones, 800-438-6656 or www.motherjones.com. 6 issues a year. One-year introductory subscription: $10.

America@work, 800-442-5645, in Washington, DC, 202-637-5044 or www.aflcio.org. 11 issues a year. One-year subscription: $10.