It is the day before workers at a Baltimore chemical firm are scheduled to hold their vote for union representation. Inside, management has called the employees together for one more anti-union harangue. As the boss drones on, a Baltimore police officer stands by, twirling his baton. Another plays with his handcuffs.
Election day arrives.
Inside, officers wearing SWAT-like flak jackets roam the plant. It has taken a lot of courage for workers to get this far in their organizing. The police presence in the campaign's final hours stokes the in-plant climate of fear and insecurity. And when the votes are counted, organizers discover that their majority support has evaporated. The campaign is lost.