Get Involved With Fair Labor and Immigrant Workers' Rights
1. Host a screening of Made in L.A. and borrow the film through POV's free lending library. For help organizing your event, download the Made in L.A. event planning toolkit.
2. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper about your thoughts on issues of low wage work and immigrants' rights — using Made in L.A. as a reference point.
3. Do something special for the workers who make your day possible — the bus driver, your mail carrier, the custodian at work, your garbage collector, etc.
4. Volunteer at a local organization that advocates for low wage workers' rights and fair labor practices — check out POV's books and links page to find national networks that can help you identify groups in your community.
5. Research your state's labor laws and consider how those laws directly affect you.
Visit the website of the U.S. Department of Labor to learn more about minimum wage rates and other labor laws in your state.
Cornell Law School's website host an extensive list of links to labor and employment laws for all fifty states.
For more ways to get involved, visit the filmmakers' website for Made in L.A.! Watch videos about immigration, being a more conscientious consumer and how to make local connections around the outreach campaign of the film.
Get informed about the issues in the film and lead a discussion in your community.
Made in L.A. offers a rare and poignant glimpse into this “other” California, where immigrants in many industries toil long hours for sub-minimum wages, fighting for an opportunity in a new country. As an engagement tool, it offers viewers a powerful springboard for dialogue about the challenges facing low-wage immigrant workers, the great hardships and benefits of organizing, the impact of individual consumer purchasing choices, and the complex effects of public policy related to immigration and labor.
This lesson plan is designed to be used in conjunction with the film Made in L.A., a film that follows the struggle of three Latina immigrants working for fair labor conditions in Los Angeles’s garment factories. Note: This film has bilingual subtitles throughout and is fully accessible to English and Spanish speakers. This lesson compares current conditions in the garment industry with those at the turn of the 20th century.
This multimedia resource list, compiled by Paul A. Bareño of the San Diego Public Library in partnership with the American Library Association, provides a range of perspectives on the issues raised by the POV documentary Made in L.A..
