F.I.S.T.

Supervisor Mr. Gant hires Polish-American Lincoln Dombrowsky and warns that he will only be paid for his regular shift unless overtime is approved. He also makes clear that any merchandise damaged by the worker will come out of his pay. This establishes the harsh labor climate that triggers later tensions.

When Dombrowsky drops a few carts of tomatoes, his pay is docked and another worker is fired for helping recover the fallen merchandise. The punitive actions spark resentment over the unfair labor practices.

Hungarian-American Johnny Kovak mobilizes the workers to riot in response to the dockside injustices. The disturbance reveals the workers' willingness to challenge management through collective action.

The laborers go to the office of Boss Andrews, believing they secure a deal. The next day Kovak and Abe Belkin learn they have been fired.

Mike Monahan, impressed by their leadership, offers them positions in the Federation of Inter State Truckers (F.I.S.T.). The offer promises payment based on the number of members they recruit.

Kovak is given a car to aid recruiting, which also lets him meet Anna Zarinkas, a Lithuanian-American worker. He soon starts dating her as his recruitment work expands.

Kovak's successful recruitment propels him into a leadership role, drawing opposition from business owners and sparking conflict with hotheaded F.I.S.T. leader Max Graham. The tension foreshadows a broader struggle over control of the union.

Kovak, Monahan, and Belkin organize a strike outside Consolidated Trucking. When strikebreakers and hired security push them back, Monahan is shot while trying to ram the gates.

Desperate for muscle, Kovak accepts help from Vince Doyle. Doyle's men attack deliveries as local mobsters and F.I.S.T. members storm the gates, pressuring management to sign a labor agreement.

Kovak and Belkin travel the Midwest to recruit more workers, expanding F.I.S.T.'s reach. Kovak becomes wealthier and marries Anna.

By 1958, F.I.S.T. has grown to about two million members. Kovak confronts Graham after learning he used union influence to funnel money to shell companies and commit violence.

Now president, Kovak faces a Senate inquiry led by Madison over potential Mafia ties. After Belkin is killed, Kovak is implicated; he returns home to find Anna and the children missing and is shot by Milano's men. The film ends with the bumper sticker 'Where's Johnny?'