A more recent documentary dealing with the CAW -- "The Negotiator" -- provides a fascinating insight into contract negotiations between a CAW local and De Havilland in Toronto. The latter documentary features the current CAW President, Buzz Hargrove. I don't know who produced this latter piece. If I recall correctly, women had considerably more of a role in the later round of negotiations than those featured in "Final Offer."
One memorable scene from "Final Offer" had a group of top CAW men sitting around in a room as the phone rang incessentantly. Rather than reach out to pick it up, they kept yelling "phone, phone" until a female assistant came in to answer it for them. Nevertheless, I think the CAW, like other Canadian unions, has changed quite dramatically over the last decade and a half.
In solidarity,
Jordan Berger
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Doug Henwood [SMTP:dhenwood at panix.com]
> Sent: Monday, June 29, 1998 10:49 PM
> To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
> Subject: UAW & women
>
> Mike Yates wrote:
>
> >"Final Offer" is available from California Newsreel, 149 9th St.,
> #420, San
> >Francisco, CA 94103. I do not remember the rental or purchase price,
> but it
> >probably is not too high. One interesting thing about the film is
> the
> >absolute domination of men in the UAW. Not a woman on the bargaining
> team.
>
> Too bad. One of the great little labor triumphs of recent years was of
> the
> workers at Barnard College, almost all women, led by women, who
> developed
> an intense solidarity and beat the thugs of Columbia. Not that UAW
> central
> had much to do with this, of course.
>
> Doug
>
>
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