ON THE WATERFRONT

CULTURAL, HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL SET TING

Based upon a series of newspaper articles written by Malcolm Johnson

about trouble on the New York waterfront in 1949

Articles exposed murder, extortion and standover tactics infesting the docks

A congressional Inquiry was set up to hear evidence from the dockworkers

in an attempt to clean up the waterfront

The characters of Terry, Johnny Friendly and the crusading priest, Father

Barry, were based on real people

The film revealed an ugly, gritty side of American society and politics. It was

an immediate success and very popular much like the Underbelly series is in

Australia today

WHAT ARE UNIONS?

An organization of workers joined to protect their

common interests and improve their working

conditions.

People create or join unions when they feel they

are being treated unfairly by their employers.

MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Unions in Australia include the Maritime Union of Australia

which Maritime Union of Australia represents around 12,000

Australian men and women - stevedoring workers (wharfies),

seafarers, divers, port workers and office staff.

This is the union Terry from ‘On the Waterfront’ would be a

part of if he worked in Australia. In the film, he is part of the

International Longshoremen’s Union of which Johnny

Friendly is the boss.

AUSTRALIAN WORKERS UNION

View the recent video created by the AWU about w

age equity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aixgpZNgvbA

What is the role of the union in this clip?

ROLE OF UNIONS

Unions represent members for the following sorts of issues:

wages (payment at the correct rate, penalty rates etc, wage rises)

conditions (eg hours of work, breaks, shift times, workplace facilities)

health and safety at work (more people die from work injuries than on

the

roads)

job security

discrimination and harassment

unfair dismissal

MAY DAY CLIP

http://aso.gov.au/titles/documentaries/banners-held

-high/clip1

/

What does this clip tell you about the values and

purpose of unions?

EUREKA FLAG - SYMB OL O F UNIO NISM IN AUST RALIA

SLOGANS YOU MIGHT HEAR FROM A UNIONIST

‘The workers united will never be defeated’

‘An injury to one is an injury to all’

‘Solidarity Forever’

‘A victory for one is a victory for all’

FATHER BARRY

Some of these sentiments are echoed in ‘On the

Waterfront’ by Father Barry. He is based on a real person,

Father John M. Corridan who campaigned against corruption

on the docks in New York in the 1950’s.

Watch the clip again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDH3wvlC9pY

IN ‘ON THE WATERFRONT’

While unions are there to benefit employees, there are cases of

corruption within unions and this is what the film centres around.

A Waterfront Crime Commission was set up in 1953 to investigate

corruption in the International Longshoremen’s Union.

Union bosses had the power to decide who worked on any given

day.

Those who did work had to pay kickbacks to the Union Bosses- in

the film- Johnny Friendly. Those who didn’t work were encouraged

to take loans from the Union which had high interest rates.

IN ‘ON THE WATERFRONT’

In the film, workers such as Joey Doyle, were

reporting on such corruption which made them

targets for murder.

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS

What is a union?

Why do people join unions?

What is an example of a union?

What values do unions have?

In what ways does the union exploit its members in

the film?