Three Strikes

8 Pages 2053 Words

way in which culture censors out certain historical events, which we are not proud of. Frank’s story is about young women in the 1930s, and Woolworth's Five and Dime stores, which was the equivalent of Wal-Mart today. The chain boasted 2,000 stores in five countries; the company exploited its workers and sold products made in sweatshops. Kelley's story is about the struggles of New York musicians getting replaced with technological improvements and America’s change of taste in music in the early1930’s. This relates today with tensions between musicians and consumers about downloading music, and with workers who are losing their jobs to technology.
The factors that led the three groups to strike were different in each situation. The coal miners went on strike because their wages were low, their working conditions extremely poor, and they wanted their union recognized. The Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (C.F.& I.) were also monopolizing them by having to buy goods sold at stores run by the C.F.& I. In turn the C.F.& I also paid the teachers and doctors assigned to the camps. The women who worked at Woolworth’s went on strike because their wages were to low, they also wanted their union recognized, and they wanted benefits such as lunch, free uniforms for work, and fewer hours. The American Federation of Musicians went on strike because they were being replaced by technology, their jobs were being replaced by “canned” music, which is studio-recorded music. Many of them were unemployed because theater owners could save money and also no what was expected during the film, whi...