Union is an intimate documentary chronicling the inspiring unionization fight of workers at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island, New York. Filmmakers Steven Manning and Brett Story, along with several members of the Amazon Labor Union (ALU), documented every step of this campaign through the perspective of an Amazon employee. The perspective of workers organizing a union is rare in cinema, and gives the audience a view into the wins, losses, oppression and solidarity that come with union campaigns. I watched Union for the first time surrounded by many of my comrades at a local theater. This showing was organized by a local coalition of pro labor organizations. The movie was essentially being shown to a large group of people already familiar with unionization struggles. The film had a powerful effect on me, despite my own familiarity with the fight.
The opening scenes paint a brutal picture of global capitalism and the massive wealth disparity that it constantly fuels.. The title card is a long droning shot of a massive commercial transportation ship pulling into New York Harbor on a dreary day. We’re given information detailing the total extent of Amazon's influence and power, with revenue in the hundreds of billions and roughly 1 million employees in the US. Then we switch over to a shot of a small tent set up in front of the fulfillment center: this is manned by Chris Smalls, one of the leading figures in the ALU unionization fight as he collects signatures to submit to the NLRB to petition for a union election. The opening few minutes perfectly encapsulate the uphill battle labor organizers face. This particular battle with Amazon was a true David versus Goliath situation. The movie was a superb document of the struggle and triumphs throughout the unionization process, both internal and external.
The close personal perspective the filmmakers took gave them the opportunities to show what grass roots labor organizing looks like. ALU chose not to organize with a major national union due to differences in opinions on organizing strategy. Specifically, the major unions wanted less direct rank and file participation within the committee and also wished to exclude some workers from the proposed bargaining unit, both of which were non-starters for the ALU. Due to that decision, active rank and file committee meetings therefore take the forefront for a good chunk of the movie. The ALU campaign started in April of 2021, so many of these committee meetings took place via video conference, during the height of the COVID pandemic. The energy of these meetings was palpable. During meetings many people voiced their thoughts, and emotions–both positive and negative–ran high. While intended for planning, committee meetings also frequently act as release valves for stress endured during a campaign, sometimes seeming almost like a type of group therapy. These scenes give us insight into the inner thoughts and feelings of the Amazon workers at different moments in the campaign. It was a cool way to both get a sense of where the workers were sitting throughout the documentary, and demonstrated how successful grassroots, democratic union organizing is conducted. These meetings also portrayed some of the challenges that can accompany this type of organizing.
Union infighting was a major focal point throughout the documentary. While everyone involved in the organizing committee had the same goal, they often had differences in opinion on strategy, and there were various attempts by different workers to assert their own authority over the direction of the committee. When this happens, it can become especially problematic when it marginalizes some worker voices. There were times when the voices of women and people of color in the committee were not being heard, which led to infighting. This highlights an often-overlooked aspect of union organizing, it's important for marginalized workers voices to be heard, and conflict resolution is a necessity. Democratic unions with active and inclusive memberships are stronger and able to more effectively uplift their entire membership. The intersection of class with the oppressions of gender, race, and sexual orientation is very real. When marginalized workers' voices are heard and valued it benefits all workers, and strengthens working class solidarity. The importance of this intersection was highlighted through scenes of infighting in the committee scenes. The ruling class has systematically opposed the production of working class solidarity for generations, and some of their strategies were highlighted in this documentary.
Union-busting is reported to be a 400 million dollar a year industry in the US. Companies hire third-party union busting consultants to spread anti-union propaganda and squash union organizing as quickly as possible. You can imagine what a giant like Amazon might be willing to spend to stop union organizing within its walls. The filmmakers had to get creative with filming inside the walls of the fulfillment center. Some of the footage was typical movie quality but much of it was captured secretly by workers on the job . Fulfillment center employees are some of the most surveilled workers on the planet, but they themselves are not allowed to film anything while on the job, so their filming efforts risked retaliation. Including these videos was an excellent choice for many reasons. The recording offers first-hand accounts and presents an accurate depiction of their workplace conditions and different union busting techniques; it is also a poignant stylistic choice which highlights the oppression Amazon employees are subjected to. Thanks to their recording, the filmmakers were able to include examples of many of the techniques union-busting firms use.
The bread and butter of union-busting firms is the captive audience meeting. Captive audience meetings provide companies with opportunities to force workers to digest anti-union myths. These meetings can be effective at dividing workers if not countered in the correct way. The documentary used some of the recordings workers did secretly on the job to demonstrate both the dangers and responses to captive audience meetings. The bosses were sowing division, but ALU organizers did a good job at inoculating their coworkers to these meetings. The film highlighted the importance of inoculation, by communicating directly with coworkers to disprove the boss's lies as they come up and offering real examples of how unions uplift workers. On top of the captive audience meetings, there were also boss propaganda posters plastered throughout the warehouse. At times the police harassed and assaulted union organizing, a dreary reminder that government institutions like law enforcement are used as the strong arm of capital. All these union busting efforts inflict a level of emotional duress on organizers and workers that is often underestimated, and should be taken seriously.
The documentary was its most raw when depicting the emotional stress union organizers experience. During several committee meeting scenes some organizers express desires to quit and feelings of hopelessness. This resonated with me personally as I related it to my own organizing experiences; however, these moments were also powerful on their own. The filmmakers included many intimate moments between organisers where feelings flow freely. I think these types of scenes in documentaries are important. Documenting the events themselves is vital in documentaries, but focusing on the emotional aspects of this struggle brings the events to life. The emotions in these scenes break down the barrier between the viewer and the organizers, allowing the viewer to relate to the emotions they probably have felt during their own workplace struggles, union or not. This in and of itself is an important aspect of union organizing, finding solidarity through shared and relatable experiences. I think the filmmakers presented this concept excellently.
If you have friends and family who have expressed anti-union sentiment, or are timid around the idea of unions, show them this documentary. If you and your coworkers are thinking about trying to form a union, or are in the middle of your union campaign, watch this documentary. If you kidnapped your boss and you want to try to make them see the error of their ways (probably in vain!), show them this documentary. Union has something new to teach everyone, from people who are just now learning what a union is, to the most seasoned union organizers. The filmmaking is an excellent example of being able to document a particular subject while including the interpersonal and emotional aspect of everyone who was actually involved. It does so in a powerful and relatable way, which is not always a given with the documentary genre. Union documents union organizing, and the working class material conditions that are driving the current movement in the 21st century superbly.
10 Cats (out of 10)
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