Like a House on Fire Lesson Plan

What do we know about the town in "Sleepers"? What sort of resistance is the town putting up? Against who? Why?

We know the setting of "Sleepers" is a small town somewhere in Australia: "Ray was stuck in traffic, an unusual feeling in a town the size of his." The railroad tracks are being upgraded, a massive construction project that an out-of-town company won the contract for. The company came in with its own workers, much to the dissatisfaction of the locals, some of who have been out of work or underworking for years. Furthermore, the construction company is organizing the old railway sleepers by quality to in turn sell them to a subcontractor. The residents are...