- Collection:
- WSB-TV Newsfilm Collection
- Title:
- WSB-TV newsfilm clip of Hosea Williams accusing the Reed Drug Company of unfair labor practices and racism as well as picketing by the Poor Peoples's Union, Atlanta, Georgia, 1973 March 28
- Creator:
- WSB-TV (Television station : Atlanta, Ga.)
- Contributor to Resource:
- Williams, Hosea, 1926-2000
- Date of Original:
- 1973-03-28
- Subject:
- Pharmaceutical industry--Georgia--Atlanta
Demonstrations--Georgia--Atlanta
Labor--Georgia--Atlanta
Lie detectors and detection--Georgia--Atlanta
Race relations
Picketing--Georgia--Atlanta
We Shall Overcome (Song)
Poor--Georgia--Atlanta
Poor--Employment--Georgia--Atlanta
Poor African Americans--Georgia--Atlanta
Poor blacks--Georgia--Atlanta
Urban poor--Georgia--Atlanta
Working poor--Georgia--Atlanta
Labor leaders--Georgia--Atlanta
African American labor leaders--Georgia--Atlanta
African American clergy--Georgia
Clergy--Georgia
Labor unions--Georgia--Atlanta
Labor union members--Georgia--Atlanta
Labor union members--United States
African American labor union members--Georgia--Atlanta
Labor unions--Organizing--Georgia--Atlanta
Grievance procedures--Georgia--Atlanta
Labor discipline--Georgia--Atlanta
Intimidation--Georgia--Atlanta
Labor unions--Press coverage--Georgia--Atlanta
Labor unions, Black--Georgia--Atlanta
Labor movement--Georgia--Atlanta
Civil rights workers
Civil rights workers--Georgia--Atlanta
African American civil rights workers
African American civil rights workers--Georgia--Atlanta
African Americans--Civil rights--Georgia
African Americans--Civil rights--Georgia--Atlanta
African Americans--Civil rights--History--20th century
African Americans--Employment--Law and legislation--Georgia--Atlanta
Blacks--Employment--Law and legislation--Georgia--Atlanta
Discrimination in employment--Georgia
Discrimination in employment--Georgia--Atlanta
Discrimination in employment--Law and legislation--Georgia
Discrimination in employment--Law and legislation--Georgia--Atlanta
Race discrimination--Georgia--Atlanta
Industrial relations--Georgia--Atlanta
Industrial relations--Press coverage--Georgia--Atlanta
Industrial management--Georgia--Atlanta
Collective bargaining--Georgia--Atlanta
Collective labor agreements--Retail trade--Georgia--Atlanta
Employment tests--Law and legislation--Georgia--Atlanta
Unfair labor practices--Georgia--Atlanta
Union busting--Georgia--Atlanta
Fines (Penalties)--Georgia--Atlanta
Labor disputes--Georgia--Atlanta
Racism--Georgia--Atlanta
Georgia--Social conditions--20th century
Social conflict--Georgia--Atlanta
African Americans--Georgia--Atlanta--Social conditions--20th century
African Americans--Georgia--Atlanta--Social conditions--1964-1975
Protest songs--Georgia--Atlanta
Direct action--Georgia--Atlanta
Picketing--Law and legislation--Georgia--Atlanta
Strikes and lockouts--Georgia--Atlanta
Boycotts--Georgia--Atlanta
Signs and signboards--Georgia--Atlanta
Drugstores--Georgia--Atlanta
Drugstores--Management
Chain stores--Georgia--Atlanta
Chain stores--Management
Police--Georgia--Atlanta
Pedestrians--Georgia--Atlanta
Sidewalks--Georgia--Atlanta - People:
- Williams, Hosea, 1926-2000
- Location:
- United States, Georgia, Fulton County, 33.79025, -84.46702
United States, Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, 33.749, -84.38798 - Medium:
- moving images
news
unedited footage - Type:
- Moving Image
- Format:
- video/mp4
- Description:
- In this WSB newsfilm clip dated March 28, 1973, members of the Poor People's Union demonstrate against the Reed Drug Company in front of one of its Atlanta drugstores.
The clip begins with a shot of a group of African American protesters picketing Reed's Discount Drugs, taken from the opposite side of the street. The camera zooms in closer, and captures the signage on the entrance of the drugstore. Next, Hosea Williams, standing with a group of protesters in front of Reed's Discount Drugs, addresses the group's concerns to the camera; as he speaks, pedestrians continue to make their way down the sidewalk behind the group of protesters.
Speaking directly to the camera, Williams explains that a Reed Drug Company employee came to the Poor People's Union office after having complained to Reed's "many times" about grievances that were not redressed by the company's management. The Poor People's Union investigated the situation at the Reed Drug Company, and found the company to be guilty of unfair labor practices and racism. The Poor People's Union attempted to collect union authorization cards from Reed's employees; when management from Reed's found out that representatives from the Poor People's Union had been facilitating unionization efforts, the company retaliated against their employees by administering polygraph tests and fines. In response, the employees voted to wage a work stoppage strike and boycott of Reed Drug Company's twenty-six locations in the Atlanta area. Williams describes the strike as a "result of Reed's retaliating on these people because they tried to enter the Poor People's Union."
Next, a police officer crosses the street in front of Reed's Discount Drugs, walks around the picket line of chanting demonstrators, and enters the drugstore. This is followed by a closeup shot of several picketers in front of Reed's Discount Drugs, taken from the neck down. They are wearing protest placards around their necks; some of the signs include "Reed's pay slave wages," "Help the poor people's union," and "Poor people's union of America." As they picket, the protesters sing "We Shall Overcome."
Hosea Williams founded the Poor People's Union of America in 1972 in Atlanta, Georgia, while serving as the executive director of the DeKalb/Metro-Atlanta branch of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The Poor People's Union was established with the intent to organize Atlanta's working poor by negotiating grievances and securing job stability, pensions, and health care benefits. The Poor People's Union partnered with the Distributive Workers of America, formed in 1969 as the first multi-racial union led by an African American president and an executive board comprised largely of people of color. Although the Poor People's Union did not become as successful as it had endeavored to be, the organization supported significant efforts to aid underrepresented workers in Atlanta.
Title supplied by cataloger. - Local Identifier:
- Clip number: wsbn21368
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://crdl.usg.edu/id:ugabma_wsbn_wsbn21368
- Digital Object URL:
- https://crdl.usg.edu/id:ugabma_wsbn_wsbn21368
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/ugabma_wsbn_wsbn21368/presentation/manifest.json
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: wsbn21368, WSB-TV newsfilm clip of Hosea Williams accusing the Reed Drug Company of unfair labor practices and racism as well as picketing by the Poor Peoples's Union, Atlanta, Georgia, 1973 March 28, WSB-TV newsfilm collection, reel 1921, 37:26/39:03, Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, The University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia
- Extent:
- 1 clip (about 1 mins., 37 secs.): color, sound ; 16 mm.
- Original Collection:
- Original found in the WSB-TV newsfilm collection.
- Holding Institution:
- Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection
- Rights:
-
