“Salt of the Earth” (1954) -- More than a Blacklisted Film
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This 5 page report discusses the 1954 blacklisted movie that tells the story of a strike among Hispanic mine workers at the Empire Zinc Corporation in New Mexico. A Mexican American family finds itself in the middle of the bitterness caused by the strike. As a political statement, it demonstrated the inter-connection that exists between working class, feminist, environmental and Latino concerns, and yet it was denounced for its “communist overtones” and banned from the public until the late 1960s. The movies writers, producer, and director had all been blacklisted and the star, the Mexican actress Rosaura Revueltas, was deported. No additional sources.
Filename: BWsaltof.doc

“Striking Steel” by Jack Metzgar
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A 4 page paper which examines what life was like before and after the union based on Jack Metzgar’s book “Striking Steel.” No additional sources cited.
Filename: RAstrkst.rtf

"Out of This Furnace": An Inside Look at the Labor Union Movement
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A 5 page overview of the book by Thomas Bell. The author contends that, although fictional, Bell's book accurately portrays the historical circumstances leading up to the implementation of labor unions. In the last chapter of "Out of This Furnace" the grandson Dobie becomes a union organizer. Efforts such as his were critical in insuring fair labor in a rapidly industrializing society. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Filename: PPfurLbr.rtf

"Rivethead: Tales from the Assembly Line": A Review of the Book by Ben Hamper
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A 3 page overview of the life of a fourth generation production line worker in Flint Michigan in the 1970s and 1980s. The author outlines the impact the United Autoworkers Union (UAW) had on Hamper and his fellow workers. No additional sources are listed.
Filename: PPriveth.rtf

"The Effects Of Minimum Wages On Employment: Theory And Evidence From Britain": Review
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5 pages in length. The writer discusses minimum wage impact as it relates to the journal article. No additional sources cited.
Filename: TLCminwg.wps

A Position on Bluestone’s Essay “The Inequality Express”
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This is a 6 page position paper in regards to Barry Bluestone’s essay “The Inequality Express”. In his paper “The Inequality Express”, Barry Bluestone (1996) discusses aspects of the trends predicted by British sociologist Michael Young in his 1958 book “The Rise of Meritocracy, 1870-2033” in which an individual’s socioeconomic status would no longer be based on lineage or family connections but instead on the differences of education, intelligence, experience and effort by the year 2034. While Bluestone writes that he has not seen such a revolution yet within society he and other social economists believe that there are three clearly defined trends which are consistent: that the distribution of earnings (in the U.S. and the U.K.) reflect the distribution of formal education in the workforce; “the gap in earning between the well educated and the not-so-well educated is steadily increasing”; and, the standard of living for those who are less educated is declining. Despite these trends, Bluestone and his colleagues present possible solutions to the end of inequality; most of which seem unlikely in today’s global free market society. Bibliography lists 1 source.
Filename: TJpospr1.rtf

A. Phillip Randolph
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A 5 page paper which examines Randolph’s influence on labor unions and his relationship with the Pullman Railroad, which led to the founding of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP), the first Black labor union in America. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Filename: TGaprand.rtf