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Narrator:
America,
2005.
Dorothy is
a young worker, disheartened, disgruntled, and disgusted. The winds of disaster are swirling around
her, a virtual tornado of calamity. (Chorus whistles)
Dorothy:
Oh no! What am I to do? Auntie Em got sick and she has no insurance. Uncle Henry’s lost his pension. That nasty old neighbor Elvira Gulch has
bought up the neighboring farms and is building a Home Depot. And poor Professor Marvel lost his job in
downsizing.
Chorus:
Cutbacks
and mergers and bribes. Oh my!
Hunger, low
wages and war. Oh my!
Oppression,
injustice and greed. Oh my!
Dorothy:
Gosh Toto,
this doesn’t look like America!
Narrator:
Oh, but it
is, Dorothy. It is. The Wizards of greed are all around you.
Wal Mart
cheats me on my hours
They’re
afraid of Union power
Exploitation
is their art……
Wal-Mart
doesn’t pay fair wages
They’ve
been screwing us for ages
If they
only had a heart
En-Ron
seemed to be so clever
Then their
lights went out forever
Embezzlement
was their game
Power
black-outs and deception
Lay-offs,
lies, and corruption
If they
only had a brain
Politicians
they should serve us
But instead
they make us nervous
Corporate
interest they do serve….
They could
show the workers kindness
If they
wouldn’t be so spineless
If they
only had the nerve
Wal-Mart,
En-Ron, Politicians
Made some
pretty bad decisions
Greed just
set them all apart
They could
make the world far better
Change all
our lives forever
If they
only had…a heart, a brain, the nerve….
Narrator:
But in the
depths of her despair, Dorothy saw in the distance a glittering bubble…
Dorothy:
Who in the
hell are you?
Glinda:
I’m Glinda,
the good union organizer of the north.
And who in the hell are you, my dear?
Dorothy:
Well, I’m
Dorothy of mainstreet, USA. What’s a union?
Glinda:
It’s an
organization of workers who band together to improve wages and working
conditions.
Don’t you
know dear, you don’t have to struggle on your own.
Dorothy:
That sounds
great! And how do I become a part of
this union?
Glinda:
It’s simple
dear. You just sign a card, pay your
dues and get involved.
Dorothy:
What about
clicking my heels?
Glinda:
That too.
Dorothy:
Wow! That sounds so easy? What next?
Glinda:
A musical
number and a happy ending, of course.
Dorothy:
I kind of
saw that coming.
Glinda:
We all work
for the union, proud and strong,
We know
deep in our hearts that this is where we belong.
Together,
united in purpose, me and you,
All the
dreams that we dare to dream really can come true.
So what do
you think, dear?
Dorothy:
I hope
you’re UAW and not Actor’s Equity.
But I’m
feeling much better now.
Glinda:
See? You had the power within you all along. You just had to want it badly enough and
recognize that there is strength in numbers.
Now go. Infiltrate.
Demonstrate. Negotiate. File grievances.