Crystal Lee Sutton

September 14, 2009 6:14 PM

Crystal Lee Sutton was fired for trying to organise a union. The incident was made into the 1979 film Norma Rae. Last week she died at the age of 68.
posted by Fiasco da Gama (23 comments total)

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posted by brundlefly at 6:18 PM on September 14, 2009

Under the circumstances, best wishes hardly seem enough. Thanks are in order. Thank you for your companionship, for your stamina, your horse sense, and a hundred and one laughs. I also enjoyed looking at your shining hair and your shining face.
posted by Effigy2000 at 6:19 PM on September 14, 2009

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posted by LSK at 6:27 PM on September 14, 2009

<> . <>
posted by Smedleyman at 6:27 PM on September 14, 2009

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posted by Morrigan at 6:28 PM on September 14, 2009

ugh, I mean:

cardboardsign . /cardboardsign
posted by Smedleyman at 6:29 PM on September 14, 2009

________________________________
|                              |
|                              |
|            UNION             |
|                              |
|______________________________|

posted by ocherdraco at 6:33 PM on September 14, 2009 [5 favorites]

Her illness was worsened by her insurance company refusing to cover her necessary medical treatments:

Raynor said Sutton was also a symbol of the national health care struggle. In a June 2008 interview with The Times-News of Burlington, Sutton said she couldn't get possible life-saving medicines for two months because her insurance company wouldn't cover them. She eventually received the drugs.

"How in the world can it take so long to find out (whether they would cover the medicine or not) when it could be a matter of life or death," she said. "It is almost like, in a way, committing murder."
posted by Astro Zombie at 6:38 PM on September 14, 2009

Norma Rae is one of my favourite movies. RIP Crystal Lee; you were a gutsy woman.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 6:41 PM on September 14, 2009

The more I see ridiculous excesses of capitalism like the health care situation, the more I see people (myself included) treated like absolute shit by employers in borderline illegal ways (even in white-collar jobs), the more I think the future of the US is one where almost everyone is in a union. There is only so much shit people will take off employers. There is only so much misinformation and fear you can spread in the age of the internet before it comes back to bite you(hi, Whole Foods guy!)

Welcome to socialist country. Live better, work Union. Thanks, Ms. Sutton.
posted by drjimmy11 at 6:57 PM on September 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

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posted by elmer benson at 7:01 PM on September 14, 2009

Thanks for the inspiration, Ms Sutton.
posted by Abiezer at 7:02 PM on September 14, 2009

During the peak of the dot com boom, us coders were all working very late again. Suddenly I was seized by an impulse. I stood up among the SGI workstations and started yelling "union!, union!, union!" A couple of people got the joke. We didn't get a union.
posted by telstar at 7:30 PM on September 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

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posted by telstar at 7:38 PM on September 14, 2009

Oh wow, what a terrific lady. I just saw Norma Rae for the first time a few months ago and it was simultaneously excellent and completely not what I was expecting. We are a better nation because of women like Crystal Lee.
posted by naoko at 11:00 PM on September 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

'Norma Rae' Dead at 68 After Struggle With Her Insurance Company to Get Chemo

Too sad.
posted by spacelux at 11:20 PM on September 14, 2009

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posted by smartyboots at 11:25 PM on September 14, 2009

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Thank you for not being afraid.
posted by louche mustachio at 11:35 PM on September 14, 2009

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posted by zarah at 4:21 AM on September 15, 2009

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posted by jammy at 4:38 AM on September 15, 2009

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posted by Jon_Evil at 5:10 AM on September 15, 2009

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posted by cass at 6:53 AM on September 15, 2009

>Her illness was worsened by her insurance company refusing to cover her necessary medical treatments

God dammit that is just criminal.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:53 PM on September 15, 2009