On August 19, 2005 Roy Koch, along with 4,400 airline mechanics, custodians, and cleaners, went on strike against Northwest Airlines, the 4th largest airline in the world. Northwest, otherwise known as "The Red Tail" by its employees, wanted to lay off 53% of their union and outsource their jobs. What followed was a 444 day strike that would end with 4,000 union members out of work, including Roy. Instead of being left in the wake of this "losing battle", Roy and his daughter Melissa decide to follow Roy's outsourced job to China. THE RED TAIL interweaves Roy and Melissa's search for connection in China with the premeditated downfall of Northwest Airlines, a vibrant example of the dangers of our current economic system, which serves to make the rich richer even as the middle and working classes disappear. The Koch's journey is a search for dignity amidst the helplessness experienced by global workers; a quest to reclaim their power. THE RED TAIL looks at our broken economic system which encourages and rewards CEOs and upper management to line their own pockets instead of caring for the heart of a company: its long-term stability and life-long employees, offering a new perspective on globalization and the lives that hang in the balance.
CLICK HERE to read Collective Eye's interview with Directors & Producers Dawn Mikkelson & Melissa Koch