The Hand That Feeds

At a popular 24-hour New York bakery café, customers get served bagels and coffee with a smile. But behind the scenes, undocumented immigrant workers face sub-legal wages, dangerous machinery, and abusive managers. Mild-mannered sandwich maker Mahoma López has never been interested in politics, but in January 2012, he convinces a small group of his co-workers to fight back. Risking deportation and the loss of their livelihood, the workers team up with a diverse crew of innovative young organizers and take the unusual step of forming their own independent union, launching themselves on a yearlong journey that will test the limits of their resolve. Lawyers battle in back rooms, Occupy Wall Street protesters take over the restaurant, and a picket line divides the neighborhood. But if they can win a contract, it will set a historic precedent for low-wage workers across the country.