02x11 - One Strike and You're Out

[bunniefuu]

Hello, debbie.
This is dee.
Listen, I got a deal for you.

I'll give you my answers
to the history homework

For your answers
to the math homework.

Ok, get on it,
and call me right back. Bye.

Hello, charlene.
Yeah, this is dee.
Listen, I got a deal for you.

I'll give you my answers
to the math homework,

For your answers
to the history homework.

Ok, get on it
and call me right back.
Ok, bye.

Hello, baby.

Hi, mama,
what're you doin' home
so early?

Oh, I went to the doctor's,
and it's my hypertension
again.

Is there anything
I can get you?

Oh, no, darling,
I'll be all right.

All I need is
a little peace and quiet.

Does that mean
you're not going to work?

Well, not
for a couple of weeks
at least.

Well, I'm glad roger
has that job
at the supermarket.

Me, too.

The last time this happened,
we were really up the creek.

I didn't know
where my next quarter
was comin' from.

Say, why aren't you
doin' your homework?

I've been doin' my homework
all afternoon.

Well, that's a good girl.

Well, I'm goin' upstairs now
and I don't want
to be disturbed,

So I'm goin' to take
the receiver off the hook

Hey, hey.

[All]
hey, how are you?

Sorry about that,
raj.

Uh, it's not
your fault, bobby.

It's old man
pronson's fault.

Why are you
blaming the boss?

What did he do?

What did he do?
Nothing, that's what he did.

Our union contract calls for
an employees' lounge, right?

Uh, rerun?
Huh?

Does this look like
an employees' lounge?

Not to me.

What better could you get?

Well, you're our shop steward.
Why don't you complain?

Because he gets mad
at me.

You know pronson
will never get you guys
your own lounge.

What do you mean "you guys"?
You work here, too.

Don't you?

Rerun, did you
get fired?

It wasn't
my fault, raj.

All I did was go out
to the parking lot

And gather up
all the shopping carts.

That's what
you're supposed to do.

I know.
And I was doin' real good.
I had 89 of 'em.

89?

I was goin'
for the record.

And I had 'em all
under control, too,

At least until I got inside.

How much damage
did you do?

Remember aisle 13?
Oh, no.

It was awful, raj.
But it wasn't my fault.

I swerved to keep
from hittin' this lady,

And knocked this guy right
into the frozen food bin.

Didn't you explain that
to old man pronson?

He was the guy.

But it was an accident,
so you deserve a 2nd chance.

Oh, no, no.
You may as well forget
about that, raj.

Around here, you don't get
no 2nd chance, right?

With old man pronson,
it's one mistake
and you're out.

But that's not fair,

I mean, if you had been
in the union,
he couldn't have fired you

An-and I was goin' to join
the union next week.

How was I to know
I'd get fired
the very first day?

Hey, rerun,
sorry you got fired
the very first day.

Thanks, irene

Believe me,
I wanted to go there
and stand up for you.

Well, why didn't you?

I--i--i didn't want
to press my luck.
I've been fired 3 times.

Then why did
he hire you back?

I'm his mother!

What is going on
in here?

What is going on
in here?

You? You--you still here?

You're fired!

Mama, why aren't you out
by the register?

Move it, move it!

Now, didn't I tell you
to stack those boxes
over there.

I'm on my break.

You take your break
when you go home.

Wait a minute,
the union says--

I don't want
to hear nothing
about no union.

We can't let pronson
walk all over us like this.

We have a union,
and we got rights.

[All agreeing]

Hey, hold it down, raj
hold it down.
The boss might hear you.

Let him hear me.
What kind of
a shop steward are you?

You're just
a nervous weakling.

Hey, i--i'm not nervous.
I--i've got a family.

I got a kid and 3 wives.
I--i mean, a wife and 3 kids.

Look, all I know
is I have a union,

And it's about time
it stood up to this guy.

Right on.
Yeah.

What do you got to do with it?
You don't work here anymore.

Well, good luck anyway.

[Irene]
I'll be seein' you,
rerun.

See you later, rerun.
See you.

Take it easy.

I agree with raj.

We ought to stand up
to that punk.

He sucked his thumb
till he was 9.

I--i don't think
this is the right time
to talk to him.

No, this is the right time.
But are you the right man?

Yes.

Yes, I am.

Well, here goes nothing.

You said it.

Hey watch it,
jumbo.

These are not yours
until they hit the table,
you know.

You're always grabbing
at something.

What're you
gonna have, dwayne?

A grape soda.

A grape soda. Is that all?
What's the matter with you?

I got woman problems.
You wouldn't understand.

I'm a woman,
aren't i?

Well...

You're taking your life
in your hands.

What do you mean
you got woman problems?

I thought
you were going steady
with cynthia gardner.

I'm also going steady
with louise lucas.

You're strange,
you know that?

Well, how'd you end up
with 2 girls anyway?

Well, cynthia's nice
and pretty--

And you're makin' out
with louise.

Shhh. Shirley.

Shirley, too?

Animal.

Rerun, we did it.

We took a list of grievances
and we gave them
to old man pronson.

Oh.
You goin'
on strike, raj?

Probably, we're gonna
vote on it tomorrow.

[Rerun]
right on.

[Dwayne]
oh, no. It's louise.

Is she the nice one
or the fun one?

She's the fun one.

Can I talk to you
for a second?

Oh, sure.

Oh, aren't you
goin' to introduce her
to the guys, dwayne.

Oh, yeah. Louise,
these are the guys.

Yeah,
what do you want?

Well, my folks are away
and I would like to know

If you'd like to come
to my place
and do some homework.

But I don't have
any homework.

Neither do i.

See you guys later.

Man, what was that
all about?

Oh, forget about that.

Uh, what happened with
the strike? You could
lose a lot of money

Money? Money? This is
a matter of principle.

All the money in the world
can't buy you one principle.

Yeah, I know.
I tried it last semester
and he suspended me.

Bad, really bad,
r-rerun, this is no time
for jokes.

This is time for action
and that's what
unions are for.

I mean, we might lose
a little money,

But in the long run,
everybody will benefit.

And that is what
the labor movement
in this country is based upon.

♪ Look for the union

♪ When you are buying a coat,
dress or blouse ♪

What're you doing, raj?

♪ Remember somewhere
someone is sewing ♪

♪ Our wages going
to run the house ♪

♪ We work hard,
but who's complaining? ♪

♪ Thanks to the i.l.g.
We're paying our way ♪

♪ So always look for

♪ The union label

♪ It says we're able

♪ To make it in the u.s.a.

Roger, please.

Can't you see
I'm doin' my homework.

I'm sorry.

[Mama]
roger, is that you?

Oh, mama, wait till I tell you
what happened at work today?

Well, what happened
at work today?

Oh, mama,
were you asleep?

Yes, I was.

I'm not feeling very well.

What's wrong?

It's mama's
hypertension again.

I would've told you
if you hadn't come in the
house like sammy davis jr.,

Looking for
your union labels.

Are you gonna
be all right?

Sure she'll be alright.
She just can't go to work
for 2 weeks.

Can't work?

Look, everything's
gonna be all right.

I've got my big man
out there working.
I'm gonna be just fine.

Now, what were you
gonna tell me
about your job?

Job? Job?

Yeah. Job. Job.

Uh, oh, no, it's great, mama.
Couldn't be better.

Is that why
you were so happy?

Oh, yeah.
Great working conditions.

Ah.
Uh, great money.

Oh?
Very secure. Very secure.

It makes me just feel
like singing.

Well, let's sing.

♪ Going to the poorhouse

Should we vote now
or wait for roger?

Now, wait a minute.
We don't want to wait.
We want to vote now

So we can get out of here,
all right?

Ok, everybody in favor
of goin' on strike,
say "aye".

Hold it, hold it,
hold it, hold it,
hold it, hold it.

Uh, did you vote yet?

No roger,
we wouldn't vote
without you.

All right!

Because we know
how much you want
this strike.

All wrong.

What?

I mean,
i--i--i want to strike,

But uh, I think that we should
give pronson a fair chance
to respond to our complaints.

He told us to shove it
up our nose.

Oh.

Well, did you try?

Would you stop
clownin' around, all right.
All right, let-let's vote.

Now everybody in favor
of goin' on strike,
raise--

[Muttering]

What's the matter?

Uh, uh, I mean ye-yesterday
when I said we should
all go on strike,

I have to admit
I was only thinking
of myself.

I mean,
it's easy for me to strike
because I got money.

You know my mama's working
and my sister
is independently wealthy.

And uh, I mean,
I mean I'm in favor
of the strike,

But it's not fair to you.

So, I am going to vote
against the strike
for your sake.

Now, if there's
no further discussion,
we will adjourn the meeting

And go back to work

Let's go.

Come, let's go back
to work.

All right, everybody
in favor of a strike,
raise your hand.

Uh, raj, shall we
make it unanimous?

All right!

Mama, I'm leaving.

Are you ready
for breakfast?

What is that?

It's a pancake.
What does it look like?

A french-fried frisbee.

Do you want it or not?

Hm, I'll try it.

Enjoy.

Thanks, but I think
I'll pick up a donut
on the way to school.

Ouch.

Watch the pan,
it's hot.

Thank you.

Today's payday,
isn't it?
Huh?

Oh. Yeah, yeah.
Right, today is payday.

They must keep you
pretty busy down
at that market.

Uh, yeah they sure do.
I have to, uh,
restock the shelves

And spray the fresh produce,
uh, collect shopping carts--

Doesn't your picket sign
get in the way?

What picket sign?

The one I saw you
carrying yesterday,

Walkin' back and forth
in front of pronson's.

D-does mama know
anything about this?

Of course, not.
'Cause it would really
upset her.

That's right
and that's the last thing
mama needs is aggravation.

Then how are you goin'
to tell her there's not going
to be any paycheck today?

Flowers, candies,
and 2 choruses of
"look for the union label"?

You know, if cynthia was
a little easier,
and louisa a little nicer,

My life would be
a whole lot better.

Do me a favor, dwayne.

Shut up about
your girl problems.

Hey everybody.

Hey, raj,
what's happenin'?

Hmm, you want me to tell you
what's happening?

My feet are k*lling me.

I've been picketing
in front of pronson's
all day long.

Are you makin'
any headway at all?

Well, he started
talking to us.

What'd he say?

[Imitating pronson]
"I ain't got nothing
to say to you."

At least
that's a start.

Tsk, well,
I want to give this up.
I got to find another job.

Frankie cordova is always
looking for young guys
to help him in his business.

Oh yeah,
what's the job?

It's easy.

All you do
is make collections
from vending machines.

You'd be great at it.
You run fast.

Wait--wait a minute.
Why do I have to run?

They're not
frankie's machines.

I don't think so.

Hi, raj. What are
you gonna have?

Uh, nothing. I'm broke.
Yeah, well.

Hey, shirley.
Hmm?

Does, uh, rob need anybody
in the kitchen to wash dishes?

No, we don't wash
these dishes.

Wha-what, don't choke, clown.

Hey, we've got a machine
for those. Look I'm sorry.

Why can't your father
help out?

He's out of town.
I can't reach him.

Why don't you just cross
the picket line
and go back to work?

I can't do that, dwayne.
I have a responsibility
to my fellow workers.

What about
your responsibility
to your family?

I know,
that's my problem.

Yes, so you gonna have
to cross that picket line

Because your family
comes first.

Wrong,
his family comes 2nd.

The ambulance
will come first.

Hello, charlene? This is dee.
Did you do the math homework?

Yeah, me, too.
You wanna compare answers?

Ok, hold on. I'll get mine.

What did you get
for number 1?

18? Yeah, me, too.

What about number 2?
27? That's what I got.

And number 3?

Of course, I did it.

I got 6.

Oh, you got 84?

You're probably right.

[Knocking on door]

Someone's
at the door, charlene.

I'll give you
the rest of my answers later.

Hi, dee.
Hey, hey, hey.

Hi, hi, hi, yourself.

Raj isn't in.

Well, I just thought
he might be home
from work by now.

You can drop the act.
I know he's on strike.

What's this I hear about
a strike?

Ask dwayne.
Huh?

Who is striking, dwayne?

Uh, you are, mrs. Thomas.
My goodness,
you look wonderful.

Dwayne, is roger on strike?

Uh-uh!

Are you telling me the truth?

Uh-uh.

Dee, what's goin' on
around here?

Raj hasn't been to work
for 2 weeks.
He's been on a strike.

But it's ok, mrs. Thomas.
Raj went back to work today.

Yeah, he broke
the strike.

What?

He shouldn't break
the strike.

He could get hurt.

Don't worry about him,
mrs. Thomas. He can talk
his way out of anything.

Hi, everybody, I'm home.

Roger,

Honey, what in the world
happened to you?

Oh. Just a little accident,
I slipped.

Where,
down the elevator shaft?

Honey, are you all right?

Yeah, I'm fine
but I think we're gonna
have to bury the shirt.

[Sighing]

Roger, I know you went down
to break the strike,
so tell me, what happened?

He was doin' it for you,
mrs. Thomas.
He did it for you.

He was
only thinkin' of you.

I'm asking roger.

Roger, answer your mother.

Well, I was all set
to break the strike,

But then I remembered
how unfair pronson was,

By not living up to
his end of the contract.

So, by the time
I got down there,
I was really angry.

And then I saw him outside
yelling and screamin'
at all my friends

And pushin' them around,
that's when I lost my head.

So I grabbed him and I said,
"who do you think you are?

We have rights too!"

Don't hit me, raj.

Oh, oh.
I'm sorry, dwayne.

All right, the next thing
I knew, some big crumb,

Came by and hit me
in the back of my head
with a picket sign.

Then the next thing I knew
there were r-reporters
and police,

It was a madhouse
around there.

Who beat you up, raj?
Was it the big guy who manages
the meat department?

[Knocking on door]

No, no, no. Bigger and meaner.
Otherwise, I could have
handled it myself.

Hi, raj.

Sorry, I had to beat you up.

It's ok, irene

I may be on strike,

But nobody
tells my son off.

Nobody, except me.

I don't believe
we've met.

Oh, mama, this is, uh,
mr. Pronson's mother.

Pleased to meet you.
How do you do?

Raj, I just came to tell you
that the strike is over.

Over? How?
What happened?

My son said he couldn't stand
the bad publicity

He said he would meet
our demands,

If he could lay off
some of the dead weight.

Oh, let me guess.
He fired me.

No, he fired me.

He said I was too violent.

You mean he fired you,
his own mother?

I raised him tough.

Well, I've got to go.

I just wanted to let you know,
you can go back to work.

Oh, thanks, irene.

[Rerun]
bye, irene.
Bye.

[Mumbling]

Big and tough, huh?

You know, rerun,
none of this
would've happened

If I hadn't stood up
for you at work.

Come on, dwayne.
I think raj wants to be alone.

Later, raj.

Well, I'm sorry, mama,
sorry I lied
about the strike,

And I just didn't
want you to worry.

You know, I'm so proud
of you for not breakin'
that strike.

Oh, thanks, mama.

[Sighing]
I think you better go upstairs
and change.

Oh.

[Phone ringing]

I'll get it.

Hello.

Oh, hello, charlene.

Trouble.

You what?

Hold on, charlene.

Dee, she wants you
to give her the rest
of your math answers.

I'll handle it, mama.

I think you better.

Charlene,

If I've told you once,
I've told you
a million times

My mother doesn't allow me
to give homework answers
over the phone,

And I will not do it.

But since you're such
a dear and close friend,

I'll tell whether I agree
or not with your answers.
Start with number 4.

Here's a great job, raj.

"Make up to $2000 a week,
part time."

Yeah, well, let me see.

Oh, rerun, I don't know
anything about putting out
oil well fires.

Hey,
how's it goin', romeo?

[Sighing]
not so good.

Cynthia and I broke up
last night.

Oh, man, I bet
it was hard for you
to tell her.

Uh, actually
she told me.

What happened?

Well, I was sittin'
with cynthia
and it was dark,

And the stars were out
and I started to act
really crazy,

And I tried to louise her.

What did she say?

She said,
"I'm not that kind of girl",

But luckily I know someone
who is.

So now we don't have
to listen to any more
of your girl problems, right?

Right. From now on
I'm just goin' steady
with louise.

Oh, hi, louise.

Hi, dwayne.
How's your aunt?

Huh?

Your sick aunt, remember?
You broke our date last night
so you could be with her.

Oh, yeah, uh, uh, aunt bess.

It was touch and go there
for a while.

Yeah, I bet it was 'cause
I passed by cynthia's house
last night

And saw you touchin'
and goin' on the porch.

Oh, wasn't that touching?

Yeah it was,
but now I'm goin'.

Dwayne, there's a great lesson
in what just happened
to you.

[Dwayne]
what?

Tell him, raj.

Hey, louise, wait up!

Huh?