The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1951-03-01
Movie Mdking By Unions
Has Advanced A LONG Way

New York (LPA) - The labor
movement generally has limpec
along far behind the production OF
documentary films, but individual
unions have done better. In 1934
the international Ladies' Garment
Workers Union, then in process OF
rebirth and rapid expansion, tried
in Marching On" to put the re-
cord of its past struggles into film
Other attempts in those days in
cluded the recording of strikes and
outings. The American Federation
of Hosiery Workers particularly re-
corded its strikes and its housing
activities. For the most part, these
films were short-lived family af-
fairs, interesting only to the parti-
cipants.
The pamphlet "The Eye Route
was issued in 1888 by the ILGWU
educational department to sum-
marize the visual aids available in
workers education. A series of
film-strips was made, and a mimeo
teachers text was supplied with
each filmstrip. Later the ILGWU
made a filmstrip, "You and Your
Union," for use in courses for new
members.
i The same need induced Local 81
to make "Our Union-Local o." a
28-minute effort in kodachrome.
This is still in wide use by ILGWU
locals and other labor union groups
in the United States and abroad.
Prints were used by OMGUS in
Germany and Austria. The New
Zealand and japanese labor move
ments have also been supplied with
prints.
Meanwhile, the ILGWU educa-
tional department set up film
library to encourage its locals to
use films and to get projectors of
their own.
(The JAW and the TWUA have
more projectors in use because the
ILGWU membership is more con-
centrated into metropolitan areas
with an older membership. Union
movies in smaller towns are not
faced with so much competition.)
s lILG teachers and educational
directors made increasing use of
movies to start discussions. In
courses on marriage and parent
hood, and in other courses dealing
with the personal problems Of our
members, the union has found films
extremely useful. Human Repro
duction," "The Feeling of Rejec-
ti6n" and other such films were
used to supplement effectively the
usual lecture.
Strike meetings continued to
thrill to millions Of U.s." made in
1885, which tells the story OF. how
would-be scab was converted to
labor solidarity. Special attempts
We're made in other film programs
TO get closeup on the problems
of workers in other countries.
Since the small ILGWU Film
Library was set up in September
1948, up to the middle Of Novem
der, 1850 a total of 500 film show
ings has been made, 335 of which
were made by ILG locals.
: The ILGWU's film activity found
Its climax in the production of
,"With These Hands," a 55-minuteI
story produced in 1850 to celebrate
the 50th birthday Of the Union,
For the first time in union film
p:r e $ on S were employed
The film ran success
fully in a Broadway movie house as
well as in neighborhood houses. In|
pennsylvania, New England and inI
the Southern states it has been
widely used not only by the
ILGWU but by other urson groups
and by educational agencies.
q The reviewers who were party,
liners and "innocents" did not like
The sections which showed the dark
days of internal struggle, when