Sam Kagel
Thank you for your interest in our work on Sam Kagel. We have completed the documentary that illuminates the art of arbitration in 20th century America and presents a personal portrait of the man who had such a profound effect on it.
The heart of the film is Sam himself, who describes his life’s work in his
own inimitable style. Sam speaks with a directness and clarity that makes understanding
even the most complex issues easy and gives the listener the human side of
historic events. For example, he remembers getting Harry Bridges
and Jimmy Hoffa down on their knees in a San Francisco hotel room to
draw up a plan of the 
docks on big sheets of butcher paper. The drawing became
the basis of an agreement between the ILWU and the Teamsters, something
months of negotiations had failed to produce. From the street battles of 1934
to the sophisticated negotiations of contracts for NFL stars, over the past
6 decades, Sam Kagel has covered just about every aspect
of American working life. Our film celebrates his life and shows the importance
of arbitration in making America work.
The film features interviews with people who knew Sam well and included their memories of him in the film, which adds a richness to our portrait of this extraordinary man. Photographs, newspaper headlines, personal letters, music and artifacts are used to highlight the stories.
It is your generous contributions that make projects such as these possible. Any financial support you can give us to help further support these efforts will be greatly appreciated. For information on how you can contribute to the Project go to the Get Involved page. Thank You.