I loved Steven Yeun's character Squeeze in #SorryToBotherYou . I was a "salter," someone who gets nonunion jobs in order to organize them. Here's some quick analysis of Squeeze's organizing practice. Historically, salters were sent by communist or other left organizations. 1/
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In the absence of the left, unions run their own salt programs, with very different practices. While I love the character, his organizing was a mixed bag. The good was that the workers were immediately involved in confrontation. 2/
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Often workers want to spend a lot of time hoping someone will come to the rescue. The media, the legal system, politicians. The first task of an organizer is to get workers to take matters into their own hands. Confrontation transforms people, regardless of short-term outcome. 3/
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Squeeze wasn't a great organizer though. He talked too much. An organizer's job is to listen and help people to arrive at the conclusions on their own. The organizer's job is to give workers a chance to feel what worker power feels like. 4/
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The organizer shouldn't be the one on the bullhorn. The organizer shouldn't be the one to call the work stoppage. The bosses usually figure out who the outside agitator is. So when the workers themselves get to lead, when they take bigger risks and drive the confrontation 5/
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Their ownership increases. They get to be the leaders on the job. It shifts power relationships on the shop floor. The Squeezes of the world will go on to the next campaign. The workers have to stay there, and they have to know how to fight the boss without Squeeze around. /x
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Replying to @natogreen
I thought he was the flattest, least-dimensional character in the whole movie though I appreciated that an Asian-American played a labor organizer, activist role rather than a stereotypical disposable scientist or engineer role.
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Replying to @kimmaicutler
there are tons of amazing Asian-American labor organizers, including in the Bay Area, and an incredible radical history about their work.
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I know! Just glad to see it on screen.
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