If You Don’t Come in Sunday, Don’t Come in Monday (DVD)
The title concisely expresses prevailing conditions as workers in the late 1800 s dared to fight for a shorter work week. History books are full of the accomplishments of the leaders in government and the captains of business and industry who helped make America great. This Bicentennial special focuses on the unnamed masses of American workers who helped build the country form a small group of wilderness colonies to the powerful and complex nation of the present day. Photographs, documents and original film footage some of it shot before the turn of the century depict the tremendous human struggle, the accomplishments and the failures of the common man . The historical context of a growing young nation living through an experiment in self-government unlike any the world has ever known provides clues for the solution of problems workers encounter today and can expect to meet in the future. From Captain John Smith to Cesar Chavez… from the first boat full of African slaves to the last teachers strike… from the Memorial Day massacre to modern collective bargaining, IF YOU DON’T COME IN SUNDAY…DON’T COME IN MONDAY shows the great strides that have been made toward improving the quality of life for working Americans. At the same time the viewer is left with the realization that there is much yet to be done.
