This past Thursday I had the opportunity to see the film The Hand That Feeds. I found the film to be extremely emotional and moving. It showed a glimpse into what it means to be illegal in the US but I think also it showed the power of unions. Although the main purpose of the film in my opinion was to show the struggles and challenges that undocumented people in the US have to go through to support their families, the message that moved me the most was the union aspect.

Seeing these people work extremely hard and get paid so little made me angry. My mother is a school teacher and my father used to be one as well. Two years ago, the teachers in my mother’s school district went on strike as the union fought for their rights. Things that were common sense such as hiring more teachers and smaller class sizes were lacking. The news headlines talked about the affect on the children that this would have and whether it was right of the teachers to be doing this. But what many people didn’t get to see was the affect it had on the teachers and their families. When my mother decided to join the strike, it wasn’t an easy decision. It meant going without pay which was the only means of support for my family, as my father had become disabled and could no longer work. She hurt for the cost it took on the children as well, but she knew that in the long run she was fighting for something that was important for them and their futures. But what made it harder was the lack of support that she received from my family when she told them her decision. I can vividly remember my mom coming to me and asking if I would support her in her decision, telling me how alone she felt, and how this was important to her, that she believed it to be right. I told her that I would go picket with her, take time off school, that I supported her always, and that I believed it to be the right thing as well. What made it even worse however, was that the union settled and we all felt like the teachers and students had been cheated. The school year was extended, teachers received only a minimal pay raise across the board, more staff was said to be added but the effects of that have yet to be felt. The class sizes are still hardly manageable and the burden it places on teachers and their families is immense.

My family isn’t undocumented and the challenges that we had to face fighting for rights and working with a union was hard. Additionally, our fight was short lived. This movie showed the challenges poignantly that undocumented workers and families have to go through. It reminded me of my own experiences and perhaps took a little bit of my hope for the future with it. Immigration reform and undocumented’s rights still have a long way to go.

This documentary followed the story of a group of food service workers who were able to gain justice. They had been treated very poorly by their manager and were tired of it. They were being paid less than minimum wage and received no payments for overtime. Working conditions were less than stellar as one machine desperately needed new parts but was instead allowed to remain potentially dangerous. The one main man portrayed in the film that is actually illustrated on the film poster is an immigrant from Mexico working solely to afford the materials and tuition for his daughter to attend and graduate college. The film itself was very well made as we were allowed special inside access into the very difficult and length process that these workers had to go through in order to get the contract they deserved. The sheer immense dedication and determination demonstrated by these workers over the course of many months without a steady, reliable source of income goes to show how much this cause meant to them. As a viewer, I couldn’t imagine the difficulty of their situation of trying to overcome the odds against them as low wage food service workers in New York City. I think their overjoyed success of receiving a great contract at the end was very well-deserved and demonstrative of what hard work and dedication can accomplish. I think the fact that low wage food service workers in the U.S. are at a huge disadvantage simply because of who they are is unacceptable in the 21st century. I also think there needs to be much stricter regulations and oversight on how these businesses treat their workers on a day to day basis, not just occasional checks. Managers should be held more accountable of the responsibilities that come with managerial positions, such as giving rightly calculated paychecks, paid overtime, and continual safe working conditions. I am honestly glad for the effort and time given by the people at the Laundry Workers Center who helped the workers achieve success in this film. I believe there should be more support organizations for labor rights both in large cities as NYC but also smaller cities across the U.S. that might be given more freedoms to abuse and maltreat workers simply by being in rural locations without sufficient oversight to perform regular quality checks. I hope this film reaches a large audience and engages people to think proactively and act on this issue.

What better way to honor an institution’s anniversary than to stomp on the misguided words of its founding speech. In honor of its 70th anniversary, Cornell’s ILR School hosted a showing of The Hand That Feeds, a recent documentary about an effort to unionize a New York sandwich shop, which was led by its predominantly Hispanic employees. During the film’s introduction, one of the two ILR professors hosting the event reflected on the speech Governor Dewey (yes, that Dewey who most definitely defeated Harry S. Truman in the 1948 presidential election) delivered when the school was founded. It was essentially a thinly veiled diatribe against gains in worker’s rights. Sadly, Dewey would probably be rather content (or at least not irate) with the state of American labor as illustrated by the film.

The Hand That Feeds is ultimately an optimistic film. After months of struggle, the employees of the sandwich shop  succeed in forming a union with unprecedented bargaining powers.  The film and its subjects are jubilant with this result and are quite explicit with how remarkable it is. But then again, this result is exceptional. Lurking in the margins of the film are all of the similar movements and struggles that went nowhere or backfired spectacularly. To the film’s credit, it is completely aware of the need for more work to be done. The film actually closes with scenes of protests in favor of raising the minimum wage for fast food employees. But while the film’s final message is “It can be done”, pessimists may walk away with the addendum “…but it’s really, really hard”.

Too often I find that I have dismissed important issues and concerns, experienced by others. This year I have been in the process of a great awakening, as I have explored the realities of what people face.

As of last Thursday, I can say that I view the combined struggle of immigration and labor rights very differently. The film provided a clear, but optimistic, view of what people experience when they come into this country, in order to provide better for their lives and their families. However, I viewed the film through the lens of a business enthusiast. I am always interested in money.

Afterwards we were able to dive deeper into burning questions. Of course, my question revolved around money. I understood the interests of the small business owners and corporations. I also understood the interests and rights of the workers. Everyone wants money and deserves their fair share. The tensions in the film had much to do with the business owners not wanting to pay more money, and the workers not being properly compensated.

I asked what organizations or groups serve as the intermediaries of businesses and workers, in order to ameliorate tensions revolving money. To my surprise, there are none. I could help but think that if people had a better understanding of the interests and experiences of those on both sides of the table, bargaining processes would not have to happen so frequently. Personally, I believe that there should be an intermediary. Too much has to be put on the line for bargaining processes to be carried out; in addition, these processes do not typically end in favor of the workers.

Moving forward, tax payers, business owners, government agencies, workers, and so many others, need to get a better understanding of the interests that cause tensions, in order to limit the prevalence of high-risk, tension-filled bargaining processes.

The Hands That Feeds film yesterday was very impressive. The film focused on the labor rights mainly on latino group. Surprisingly, the documentary was both deep and entertaining. The film focused on the epic fight of the low-income group in New York for better treatment. It was very interesting that there was a white woman who pretends to be very mean to Mahoma and later proved that she does it on purpose in order to teach them not to give up in such situations. I was very moved when in the end, Mahoma and his co-workers finally opens a deli shop and it seems that everything works out in the end. Although the film mainly focus on the labor right of latinos, it also opens further discussion on the labor rights of other minority groups in US. It also strengthens in the film that language can be a big barrier for a foreigner. I think it is important that not only does the low-income groups fight for better treatment in the society, but also they should try to acquire the skill necessary to receive better salary. In general, I think the film was fantastic.