Marywood University’s Social Sciences Department Presents Its Labor Film Series
SCRANTON, PA (October 26, 2015)—Marywood University’s social sciences department will present a Labor Film Series dealing with labor and union issues, in conjunction with the Northeast PA Industrial Workers of the World (http://www.iww570.org/). The films will be shown at the Center for Natural and Health Sciences, in the Comerford Theatre, Room 126, at 8 p.m. The screenings are free and open to the public. Following the films, a question/answer period and group discussion will be held. Film presentations include:
- Bread and Roses, Wednesday, November 18, 2015: This film, set in Los Angeles, tells the story of an undocumented Mexican immigrant, Maya. She finds work as a janitor through her sister, Rosa, however, since both work for non-union companies, conditions are grim. After putting up with abuse from her bosses, Maya is open to the pro-union rhetoric offered by organizer, Sam Shapiro. Rosa, however, is far less interested in clashing with management, given the needs of her family, and a rift begins to form between the sisters.
- The Take, Wednesday, December 2, 2015: In this documentary, a group of 30 unemployed Argentinian autoworkers attempt to kick-start their dead careers. Following in the footsteps of others throughout the country, they set up shop in the desolate auto factory where they used to work, announcing their intentions to restart the plant as a cooperative business, without the aid of bosses. To keep their plan alive, these radical thinkers must battle the former owners of the company, the government, and the police.
For more information about the Labor Film Series at Marywood University, please email Jonathan Christiansen, M.A., lecturer in the social sciences department, at jchristiansen@marywood.edu, or Adam Shprintzen, Ph.D., assistant professor in the social sciences department, at shprintzen@marywood.edu