Norma Rae Page #4

Court order says you can't do that.

Well, then, brother,

let us both keep

to the letter of the law.

I ain't got no kike brother.

You didn't mean that.

I meant it.

Sh*t, do we have to fight?

The bulletin board's over here.

"Bulletin board's over here"!

Good morning.

Somebody's looking to

get into a car pool.

Somebody wants to

sell a basset pup.

You can pick pecans

for 40 cents a bushel

at Zelma Landing.

The only thing missing

is my notice.

It's there.

It is? I don't see it.

Ah, yes.

Wilt Chamberlain on stilts

could read that thing maybe.

Bring it down to eye

level, brothers.

We'll make note of your request.

Why do you guys pull

this horseshit?

I'll have to call my lawyers.

That's childish.

Where's the pay phone?

Hey!

Rick, bring it down.

Eye. Eye level.

Eye.

You ain't supposed to read it.

No union organizer has

been here for 10 years.

I'm reading it.

Well, read fast, then.

You go read the court order

that says any agent of this company

can be held in contempt.

I ain't violatin' no laws!

You're violating the law now!

Can we finish this?

Certainly.

Where's the other bulletin board?

In the weaving room.

Show it to me.

Rick!

Good morning. How are you?

Good morning.

Good morning to you. Good morning.

I'm Warshovsky, Textile

Workers' Union of America.

Good morning. Morning to you.

Good morning, ma'am.

Good morning.

Warshovsky, Textile

Workers' Union of America.

Good morning to you, ma'am.

Good morning.

I'm in room 31 of the

Golden Cherry Motel

if you have any questions.

Good morning.

Good morning to you.

Good morning.

Nice.

Gentlemen, your average

working man is not stupid.

He just gets tired.

You want to move this

out of here, please?

Move it. Move the stuff.

Hey, Reuben?

Hey.

You busy?

Yeah, very busy.

Can I come in?

Please.

Jeez, don't they ever

clean up around here?

I don't want them

messing with my stuff.

I know where everything is.

If I joined up with you,

would I lose my job?

No way.

You can wear a union button

as big as a Frisbee,

talk union, as long as

it's during a break,

and pass along union pamphlets.

They can't touch you.

I was never a very good Girl Scout.

I'll go along with you.

You're the fish I wanted to hook.

Well,

you got me.

What the hell you gonna do with me?

Make a mensch out of you, kid.

What is that?

Somebody who visits the old

folks' home on Saturday

instead of playing golf

or gives a blind man a

dollar for a pencil.

I'd do that.

But would you take the pencil?

Of course. I paid for it.

Somewhere between logic and charity

maybe there falls a little shadow?

Reuben...

We could debate this all night.

Sign this.

"Norma Rae Webster."

Everybody down here

has three names.

Let me pin this on you.

It would cover up the gravy spot.

What do I get if I do?

You don't get nothin' if you don't.

Besides, ain't you

had enough of that?

We used to heat up that

NCO club, remember?

Bygone days.

Then pin it on for bygone days.

Wayne, I'm proud of you.

Think we'll see that

club again, honey?

Take your wife. She

doesn't get out much.

Looks like you've strayed

off the reservation, Norma.

Is that right?

You got a coffee

machine at your end.

But no water fountain.

I cool down my coffee

before drinking it.

You'll cool everything!

Hey, Reverend.

Norma. You caught me

in my shirtsleeves.

Can we have some of your

flowers for Sunday?

Spider mites eating up everything.

OK.

Somehow I can help you, Norma?

How long I been coming

to this church?

Since you were little.

That's right.

I accepted Christ when

I was 6 years old.

Would you call me a good Christian?

With a lapse or two, yes.

With a lapse or two.

Are you a good Christian?

That's for the Lord to say.

I want this church for a

union meeting next Saturday.

That's blacks and whites

sitting together.

This is a house of God.

I'm waiting to see whether it is.

You're coming close to blasphemy.

I've come here to ask

God's forgiveness.

I want to see what this

church stands for,

and if you'll say there

should be justice, a union.

And if you don't,

there ain't nothin' good

for me in that church.

I'll leave it flat.

We're going to miss your

voice in the choir.

You'll hear it raised

up someplace else.

I'll be in in a minute.

We're holding a meeting,

union business.

Afterward we're having

lemonade and ginger snaps.

The shades are up. You can see in.

Washed my windows on Saturday.

You shouldn't have any trouble.

You're going too far.

How?

There's a bunch of

black men in there.

You'll get us in trouble.

I've never had trouble with

black men, only white men.

I remember some of

you from the church.

I did all of the talking that day.

Now I'd like you to speak.

Please.

A man's work should be a man's

work, not a term in jail.

Blacks have been pushed,

pulled, and scorned.

For what?

If everybody believes in

the union, I'm all for it.

Excuse me for saying

this with menfolks here,

but when I get menstrual cramps,

which come pretty hard,

they don't let me

sit down on my job.

You got to keep to your feet

unless you bring a

note from the doctor.

We wouldn't pretend to be sick.

I look at a brick wall all day.

There used to be a window there.

They brick it up to make

us feel we shut in.

My husband died of brown

lung two months ago.

His children are going

to grow up not even

knowing him.

I got all his clothes, if

someone could use them.

I'm not getting the message across.

17 people out of 800.

Well, you're an outsider.

Things move slow around here.

This isn't New York, where you

grab a taxi and grab your hat.

Craig's wetting the bed.

I told him not to drink Coke

before he went to sleep.

Craig?

Come on, sugar, wake up.

Get up.

Put your arms around my neck.

You got any ideas?

Get some corn whiskey.

We'll hit the back

roads on Saturday.

Are you finished, honey?

OK.

No more Cokes before

you go to sleep.

Mr. Robinson, how you doing today?

I'm busy.

I'm Norma Rae. You know me.

Yeah. How do you do?

This is my friend Reuben.

Nice to see you.

Read this, if you will, sir,

and I'll fix your tire.

How about that?

You've got a deal.

Can you do this?

Are you kidding?

Let's look like we can.

Watch your hand.

I think he was taking it off.

Are you making a baseball bat?

Hey, Joe. Will you

read one of these?

Jay, how you doing?

Will you read one?

Meet Reuben. He's a friend of mine.

How you doing, gentlemen?

Would you like to read one?

Elwood? Bob?

I'm not interested.

You're not interested in a union?

No.

You think you'll get a better

shake from management?

I always have.

Ow!

Damn glad you cut it.

That's telling him.

Hey, Robert.

Hi, Norma.

- We come out...

- Ah!

It's only grass and water.

We swam here as kids.

We'd leave school,

chuck off our clothes,

and jump in.

The only water hole I ever saw

was when we opened the

fire hydrant on 110th

with a wrench.

This is the life!

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