I watched the 1983 film "Silkwood" last night.
First thing I noticed about the movie is how much people smoked! Througout the film, Meryl Streep, who portrays Karen Silkwood, chain smokes the entire time. Cher and Kurt Russell aren't far behind her. There's even a scene where Russel is moving out of his house and has two cartons of cigarettes stashed in the cupboards. These were dedicated smokers!
Silkwood was one of those people who stood up for herself and for the rights of others to work in a safe environment. Silkwood was a chemical technician at a plutonium fuel production plant in Oklahoma run by Kerr-McGee. After witnessing several co-workers' exposure to plutonium, then becoming exposed herself, Silkwood quickly became a pro-union activist who blasted the company for what she felt was a lack of plant safety.
She put her job, and ultimately her life, on the line as she gathered evidence of the plant's safety lapses and presented them to her union. She was then to conduct an interview with the New York Times and hand over the evidence of tampered records and other safety violations.
Before she was able to meet with the reporter, Silkwood suffered several unexplained exposures to plutonium and was fatally injured in a car accident, that many believe was no accident.
Standing up for job safety, better pay, equal rights and the security of knowing your interests are being looked after by your employer is essential. This film reminds you not to take these things for granted.
Additional reading:
Green Left Weekly: Karen Silkwood Remembered
Union Director Tony Mazzocchi on Karen Silkwood
Conference commemorates Karen Silkwood
Book: The Killing of Karen Silkwood
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