Chicago in the 1960’s: as explored through Mayor Daley

Chicago in the 1960’s: as explored through Mayor Daley

Richard J. Daley was elected Mayor of Chicago in 1959 and maintained his title until his death in 1979. Throughout his years in governance, he lived through many historical events such as: the introduction of skyscrapers into the Windy City’s skyline, rallies lead by Martin Luther King, and the construction of The Sears Tower and O’Hare International Airport. Due to these changes, Daley is often considered one of the most influential politicians of Chicago’s history.

Daley was quick to become of the most powerful Democratic politicians in America. However, he had complete disregard for historical preservation in his city. Daley became infamous for tearing down the old buildings and building new ones, including making Chicago one of the first cities to include a skyline with skyscrapers. This was a decision which aided big businesses in the heart of the city as they paid less for more space as the buildings were made narrow and high instead of short and wide. An example of this is The One Prudential Tower.

In 1966 Martin Luther King arrived in the West side of Chicago, but Daley would not admit to Chicago’s race issue. Mike Royko – author of Boss, a novel which explores Daley’s life and Chicago as it would have been in Daley’s era - reports how a black audience jeered Daley from a bandstand in Grant Park due to his racist nature, which Royko suggests was ingrained in him (143); furthermore, onlookers from this incident report Daley being “swollen with anger”. 1966 saw the beginning of race equality rallies in Chicago which took place in Grant Park and Solider Field. King would march through neighbourhoods and famously lead a group of protestors to the doors of City Hall where he posted a list of demands to Mayor Daley.

Many people claim Daley’s greatest achievement as mayor was the planning and main construction of O’Hare International Airport. With its own Chicago address, despite it being actually located outside of the city, it is the largest airport in Illinois. Previous to O’Hare’s construction, air traffic in the Midwest was all directed through Midway airport, which now only flies domestic flights. When Midway’s runways proved to be too short for the safe take-off of the new, larger planes Daley introduced the notion of O’Hare: an airport which would filter all international flights into the city. Chicago thus became easily accessible for a new market: the international market, the tourist market.

Remnants of Daley’s world can still be found in Chicago today. For example, the Kennedy Express Lane which was constructed to connect the city of Chicago with O’Hare airport. Named after the youngest candidate to ever run for president, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the express way was a connection between the busy airport and the city. Daley was a fan of Kennedy; he helped his election campaign and was known to be friendly with the late president. It is important to note that Daley did not instigate the express lane, but it was completed in his era as mayor.

Made in Dagenham and The Equal Pay Act

Made in Dagenham  Nigel Cole (2010)

Made in Dagenham explores the life of Rita O’Grady (Sally Hawkins), a female employee of Ford Motor Co in 1960’s Dagenham. Inspired by true events, the narrative follows Rita and her female colleges in their quest for equal pay; it is fact that until 1970 companies and cooperation’s in the United Kingdom could legally pay female employees less than their male co-workers for undertaking similar roles.

A woman’s role in Ford factories included sewing car seats and upholstery for the interior of the company’s vehicles, a task which was then classified as “unskilled labour” and therefore regarded as a lower income job. Due to this classification, the women were paid 15% less than their male colleagues.

Made in Dagenham allows for its audience to sit in the Ford factory alongside Rita and her co-workers; we witness their jokes, discussions and support of one another. The movie also welcomes its audience into the lives of the Ford factory workers, many of whom live in flat blocks very close to the factory grounds: their children attend the same school, their husbands drink at the same pub and their problems are one and the same. However, it is Rita who is willing to lead her friend’s into revolution. Rose Boland, who aided the commencement of the 1968 Ford Sewing Machines Strike, is the inspiration for Sally Hawkins’ character, Rita. Rita is a mother and the wife of a man who throughout the narrative develops the same sexist attitudes towards the women’s strike which are displayed by the majority of the male characters in the film.

Through rallying her colleagues Rita commences a strike which lasts long enough to shut down the production of all vehicles being produced by the Dagenham factory; this takes just three weeks. Following this, Rita and her friends are invited to the office of Employment Secretary Barbra Castle (Miranda Richardson) where a deal is made that their wages will be raised by 7% effective immediately. The movie concludes as it begins, with the women bicycling through the gates of the Ford factory, implying that equilibrium has been restored and the women are proud of their achievements.

However, in 1968 Dagenham the women were not enthralled with their 7% pay rise, for they continued to receive 8% less than their male co-workers. It wasn’t until 1970 that The Equal Pay Act was introduced and the women of Ford were ascended towards the full Grade B rate of pay.

Made in Dagenham is a British made film focussing on British history; after all, The Equal Pay Act was introduced and made law in 1970 for the United Kingdom, whereas American Congress had introduced their Equal Pay Act seven years prior to this. Furthermore, the impact of the 1968 Ford Sewing Machines Strike reached mainland Europe; inspired by the example set by the British women of Ford, women trade unionists founded National Joint Action Campaign Committee for Women’s Equal Rights (NJACCWER). In 1969 the NJACCWER hosted a demonstration which had the focus of equal pay for women throughout the continent; the event in Trafalgar Square was attended by 1,000 people. In 1975 The Equal Pay Act was updated to enforce no income inequality between sexes in Britain. This was further cemented in British law when the United Kingdom joined the European Union in 1973, as Article 119 in The Treaty of Rome stated male and female employees should receive “equal pay for equal work”.

Overall, Made in Dagenham is a dramatisation of the 1968 Ford Sewing Machines Strike. It displays the triumph of the women who realised the 1960’s were a time for change and took their chance to make a difference for future generations of females.