L.A.-Centric Documentary Back on PBS, But Not KCET

PBS nationally this Tuesday is rebroadcasting the documentary Made in L.A. -- although you're gonna have to struggle to find it here in Los Angeles (title be damned).

The documentary, which was is bilingual in both English and Spanish, centers on three Latina immigrants working in Los Angeles sweatshops. More:

The trio embark on a three-year odyssey to win basic labor protections from a trendy clothing retailer. "When we started this film, we did not anticipate that the garment workers' campaign would take three years and that the story would take a deeper turn," says director Almudena Carracedo.

"Struggles cause people to change, and we were amazed to observe each woman's growing sense of self-confidence and self-worth," she continues. "The boycott campaign served as a catalyst for each of them, in her own way, to stand up, to say, 'I exist. And I have rights.' " Compelling, humorous and deeply human, Made in L.A. is a story about immigration, the power of unity, and the courage it takes to find your voice.

Made in L.A. was recently awarded the prestigious Hillman Prize for Broadcast Journalism, was nominated for the National Council of La Raza's Alma Award, and was screened by leaders on Capitol Hill. Community, faith-based and student organizations are currently screening Made in L.A. around the country to highlight sweatshop issues and put a human face on the immigration debate.

Here in Los Angeles, none of the local PBS stations is carrying "Made in L.A." -- but one of KCET's digital subchannels -- available over-the-air if you've got an antenna for your digital TV -- is. KCET World (Channel 28.4) will air "Made in L.A." on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and again at 12:30 a.m. that night, as well as at noon on Aug. 16.

UPDATE: KCET let us know that "Made in L.A." will air on the station on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 9 p.m. as part of its Hispanic Heritage Month programming.

Janitors Looking For A Living Wage

The Screen Actors Guild may be hitting the picket lines this summer... but today, it was someone else doing the picketing outside SAG's Miracle Mile headquarters.

About 20 people are picketing this afternoon outside 5757 Wilshire, home to SAG/AFTRA, to protest the treatment of janitors in L.A. county's high-rise office buildings (including that one). Picketers are taking turns on the bullhorn, shouting "Justice for Janitors" in English and Spanish.

The picket is part of SEIU's Justice for Janitors California Contract Campaign 2008, which it says is "the union's largest statewide mobilization effort ever." From the union's handout:

Los Angeles County's high-rise office buildings, owned by commercial real estate giants such as Douglas-Emmett, GE/Arden, Irvine Company, Kilroy Realty and others, depend on hard-working janitors to stay clean and open for business. However, janitors earn wages so low that many cannot afford adequate housing for their families. Some are forced to make impossible decisions between paying the rent or taking their child to the doctor.

At least two of the picketers Thursday were wearing Screen Actors Guild t-shirts.

Contract negotiations continue; on March 28, more than 1,500 janitors and their supporters demonstrated along Wilshire Blvd.

You probably remember the 2000 janitors' strike in Los Angeles, generally considered one of the most successful in recent history.