Bread and Roses Page #3

sh*t hole, but we're doing our best.

It 's where we're gonna stay if we

let them get away with that.

We? We?

When was the last time that

you got a cleaning job?

You and your Union, your fat

Union white boys, college kids.

-What the hell do you know?

-This campaign is different, okay?

Don 't ever say "we"! I believe

in nothing, nobody, nothing!

Nothing but this. Do you hear me,

wise guy? Now get out!

-Get out. This is my house.

-Thank you for your time.

I have too many things to do.

This is my house and nobody comes

to tell me what to do in my house.

Bullshit. Everybody

speaking at the same time!

-What 's wrong with you?

-What do you mean "what 's wrong"?

-You just had to listen to him.

-Shut up! Just shut up, everybody!

-He talks sense.

-Shut up or leave the house!

You forgot something.

Thank you.

-I 'm really sorry.

-That 's alright.

I 'll see you again.

Give me a call, whatever...

All these books!

He 's been at it for years, now!

Coming in early...

-Why so many books?

-Help him. You could learn some.

You know what kills me?

He copies everything. Look.

He 's copying the whole book.

-What 's the problem with you?

-Why does he copy?

-Why do you bother so much?

-He 's supposed to have brains.

You know what I don 't get it?

Why don 't you make photocopies

of the whole sh*t??

Come here.

Come here. Not you.

You, come over here.

What time is it?

-What time it says on the clock?

-I 'm sorry, my bus was... Iate.

What? I can 't hear you.

-The bus.

-I 'm not asking you.

-I can 't hear. What 's the problem?

-I 'm sorry...

-Where are your glasses?

-...but the bus...

-Where are your glasses?

-My glasses?

-You can 't see, you can 't work. So?

-I left them at home. Sorry.

If you can 't see, you can 't work.

What are you doing here?

I 'm sorry, sir.

My bus was late.

Bullshit!

Your bus was late?

Everybody else was on time.

What happened?

-You know what? You lose your shift.

-I 'm sorry, sir.

And don 't came back here without

your glasses. You can 't see.

-I forgot about them.

-What the f*** is going on?

-I 'm sorry...

-F***ing elderly and f***ing blind.

You know what? Give me some cripple

people, some f***ing leprous.

This is a f***ing business we 're

running, not a camp for spastics.

Jesus Christ!

-Do yourself a favor. Don 't come!

-Tomorrow...

There 's no tomorrow.

Don 't come back. Don 't come back.

-I need my work.

-You never finish on time anyway.

-You 're fired. Get out of here.

-I need my work.

You can 't finish on time, anyway.

Go do something else.

I need to work.

Christ!

I need my work.

She reminds me so much

of my mother.

What 's she gonna do?

-I need my work.

-I know, I know.

Hello, excuse me.

Is that Sam Shapiro?

Yes, this is Sam.

-Hello, Sam. I 'm Maya.

-Hi, Maya.

-Do you remember me??

-Of course. The Toluca street gang.

Listen, something happened at work.

So we 'd like to talk with you.

This building,

I don 't know if you know this...

is probably one of the most

important buildings in L.A. now.

Alright?? That 's because

Angel Cleaning Company...

is one of the biggest cleaning

contractors in the country...

and they managed to outbid

Union cleaning companies, okay?

And you know how they do that?

They cut your wages.

They don 't pay health insurance.

Do you have health insurance? No.

I 'll make it very clear.

I 'll draw a diagram for you.

-Do you have a pen?

-Yeah, I do.

Okay, look.

You take any building, right?

This is your building.

You have your owners...

next you got your cleaning

contractors, okay?

Next you got your tenants, okay?

This is where it gets

very interesting...

because the tenants...

Who are the tenants?

-The tenants are many things.

-Finance houses, big banks.

Some of the biggest

banks in this country...

operate in this building. These guys

have a tremendous reputation, okay?

They don 't want

any problems, alright?

What we have to do...

is we pressure these guys...

to make these guys

hire Union companies.

-How do you do that?

-How do you force them?

There 's many ways to do it.

I 'll explain to you. You go to...

You see? People are interested in

hearing. Then we will talk, okay?

-I 'll explain to you.

-I 'm listening.

You close off an intersection.

You close off one traffic light

downtown at rush hour.

Do you realize the effect that

has on all these people?

Can you imagine how many lawyers

and secretaries and accountants...

business people and banks, how many

people 're gonna be affected by that?

You multiply that

throughout the entire city.

Believe me, it 's cheaper

to pay you a decent wage.

It's true.

Are you f***ing crazy?

What are you talking about??

Who is gonna do it?

Who 's gonna do it?

We 've done this and it works.

We have a group of workers...

Guys, don 't listen, please, to these

f***ing idiots. Look at them.

OK, look. That 's fine. Don 't listen.

Don 't listen to me. Alright?

You talk to the other cleaners. Talk

to the guys who are in the Union.

They are having open meetings

in the garage right now.

If we don't do it,

who's gonna do it?

That 's what they say.

If we get organized...

What 's wrong with talking to the

other janitors? Just talk to them.

Okay, listen.

I 'm aworker here, like you.

I 've been here only about months.

My English is bad, like yours.

I had nothing in Russia.

But here I have my job.

I can feed my kids, I can pay

my rent, I can do everything.

Maybe tomorrow my life

will be better than today.

-I don't think so.

-lf you listen to him...

...we 'll have trouble, believe me.

-What? What 's wrong with you?

Then, shut up. Let 's go.

Let 's go.

Shut up you. You're not the boss.

You 're a janitor like everyone else.

OK, let 's go. I can 't have anything

with this. This is not my business.

Let's finish this

meeting now, please.

-We want to listen.

-You never come back, please.

Where are we going?

Don 't be so impatient.

-Tell me, where are we going?

-Calm down, wait and see.

Look at this.

Read it.

Did you pay US$ 1,600?

I 've been saving for years.

Guess what?

I 'm going to university.

-Here?

-Yes!

-Just like that?

-I pay 20%, they pay 80%.

-Who 's they?

-A company.

It 's something like US$ 16,000!

16,000 goddamn dollars!

Think of it!

-My dream, ever since I arrived.

-How did you do it? Who 's paying?

Look, first I took an exam.

I didn 't do too well

in the oral exam.

But in maths I came first.

They still didn 't give me

a scholarship. You know why?

Just because

I 'm not a U.S. citizen.

But after that...

I found this private foundation run

by two very rich Mexican brothers.

They got about 800 applications.

Guess who they picked?

-No!

-I was number one, baby.

-And now??

-Now I just have to prove...

I 've paid 20% of the fees

before the semester begins.

And then I 'll just have

to pay US$ 1,600.

-And you 're in?

-That 's it.

Congratulations!

I can't believe it.

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