Bread and Roses (2000) on Netflix
Maya crosses from Mexico without papers and takes a janitor's job beside her sister Rosa. Union organizer Sam Shapiro brings a union campaign to the building; Rosa fears for their jobs.
- Netflix3.3/5
- IMDb7.0/106,429 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes67%
Trailer
Plot summary
Maya arrives in Los Angeles from Mexico without papers and moves in with her older sister Rosa, who finds her work cleaning offices in a high-rise. The contractor runs a non-union operation, and the supervisor on site can dismiss anyone on a whim. Sam Shapiro, an organizer for the service workers' union, comes to the building to sign the janitors up. Maya listens, drawn by the chance of better pay, and is also attracted to him. Rosa keeps her distance; her husband is unwell and she cannot afford to lose the work. The cleaning staff begin pressing for public support while management tries to keep them apart.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Bread and Roses (2000)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The film is based on the real "Justice for Janitors" organizing campaign run by the Service Employees International Union, and its lead union organizer character, Sam Shapiro, is modeled on real SEIU organizer Jono Shaffer.
- The film's title comes from the 1912 Lawrence, Massachusetts textile strike, drawing on a 1911 poem by James Oppenheim that was itself based on a speech by labor activist Rose Schneiderman; the strike united immigrant workers from dozens of communities under the Industrial Workers of the World.
