4 PM. Greer waits in his office. Robson enters alone. Instead of names, he slides a grievance notice and a pending OSHA complaint across the desk. “Fire me. See how fast the feds crawl up your supply chain.” Greer laughs coldly. “You just painted a target on every man in that mill.” Robson: “Then you better hope I’m still here to protect them.” Cut to black. Sound of a train horn in the distance.
Danny corners Robson in the locker room. Offers to take the fall (quit voluntarily) in exchange for Robson keeping his name off the layoff list. Robson refuses. Danny: “Then my kid doesn’t eat. Your choice, boss.”
At the steel plant, foreman Greer announces another round of layoffs. Robson (crew chief) is ordered to pick two names by end of day. Close-ups on faces: Danny (young father, desperate), Sully (veteran, already broken), Marta (single mom, hiding tears).
– Gritty industrial font. Sound of a train passing.
– Robson sits in his truck outside his daughter’s school. Doesn’t get out. Watches her laugh with friends. His phone buzzes: “Dad Mobile” . He silences it.
A ladle cracks mid-pour. Molten metal sprays. Emergency stop triggers. No injuries, but Greer blames “negligence” – targets Robson’s team. Robson snaps: “You’ve been squeezing us since the merger. Don’t act surprised when safety bleeds.”
Robson drives to the union hall. Finds an old ally, rep Cruz. Cruz warns: “Filing a grievance now? They’ll bleed you dry in arbitration.” Robson pushes a folder across the table—photos of safety violations Greer ignored. Cruz’s expression changes.