Brett Story and Stephen Maing have teamed up to direct a new documentary called Union. Filmed over 2021 and early 2022, the film takes audiences deep into the world of organizing from within. Union follows the efforts of the Amazon Labor Union, or ALU for short. This grassroots group was determined to unionize workers at one of Amazon’s enormous warehouses in Staten Island, New York.
Story and Maing opted for a fly-on-the-wall, observational approach. We see the union campaign unfold almost in real-time through candid footage. There are no talking head interviews or contextual voiceovers to guide viewers. Instead, Union relies purely on showing what happens as the ALU attempts to form the first-ever union at an Amazon facility. This immersive style brings audiences right to the frontlines of their struggles.
Led by fired Amazon employee Chris Smalls, the ALU faced an uphill battle. Both Amazon’s anti-union tactics and internal disagreements tested the workforce. But this review aims to shine a light on their inspiring grassroots organizing efforts.
We’ll peek behind the scenes of their landmark petition drives and legal challenges. All the while, Union Spotlights is what truly motivated these modern labor activists to fight against the odds. So gear up for an inside look at the David vs. Goliath battle that’s still shaking up the world of big business today.
Chris Smalls Takes a Stand
Union introduces us to the activist at the center of it all, Chris Smalls. As a former Amazon supervisor, he witnessed firsthand the grueling expectations workers faced. After voicing concerns over pandemic safety measures, the company hastily dismissed Smalls. But rather than back down, he chose to take a public stand against such injustices.
Motivated to improve conditions for himself and others, Smalls rolled up his sleeves to form a union. Called the Amazon Labor Union, or ALU, it aimed to give Staten Island warehouse staff a voice. Smalls knew meaningful change required collective bargaining power that Amazon ruthlessly fought to deny.
New York labor law set some high thresholds for formal recognition too. Smalls had his work cut out, gaining the support of at least 30% of his coworkers. Then a simple yes/no vote on unionizing, which the ALU needed 50% plus one to win. With employees regularly replaced in what critics called a “revolving door,” maintaining numbers posed an uphill battle.
Out in the community, smalls and volunteers redoubled their efforts. Petitions, flyers, and word-of-mouth spread their message far and wide. When colleagues clocked out, conversations sometimes continued long into the night over text or internet forums. Support grew one by one despite Amazon’s best attempts to quash momentum.
Yet disagreements within the group also threatened momentum at various junctures. Some wanted bigger unions to take the lead, while others pushed for bolder direct action. Managing passionate personalities toward a shared purpose proved no small task for Smalls and his tightknit core team.
No matter the setbacks, Smalls’ organizing had awoken something in workers ready for change. Still, the legal gauntlet had only just started as Union spotlighted the trials still lying ahead in their fledgling union’s fight.
Battling Union Momentum
Amazon pulled out all the stops in opposing the budding union drive. Mandatory captive audience meetings bombarded employees with anti-organizing propaganda. Posters plastered around the warehouse warned of strikes and dues while accentuating the company’s benefits.
Behind closed doors, the virus grew stronger. When news leaked of an internal memo, it underlined the corporate contempt for Smalls and others leading the charge. The leaked comments dubbed Smalls “unintelligent and ineloquent” in a calculated move to discredit him publicly.
In more strategic moves, Amazon lawyers pounced on any misstep to hamstring the process. They challenged dozens of signatures on technicalities, no matter the true intentions of individuals. This litigious approach exploited loopholes to drag out deadlines and deflate organizing enthusiasm.
Meanwhile, workers juggled impossible productivity quotas under the specter of retaliation. It’s easy to see why many hesitated to overtly support the union at risk of their jobs. The power imbalance meant the deck remained stacked heavily in management’s favor through intimidation and delaying tactics.
While labor law aims to protect organizing rights, historical gaps leave room for this kind of union-busting. It raises serious ethical questions about a corporation so resolutely denying employees their right to collectively bargain. Though David ultimately defeated Goliath in this case, the trials kept mounting through sheer attrition, as Union reveals.
Voices of the ALU
Beyond Chris Smalls, several other organizers drove the union message forward. From different walks of life, unique experiences fueled each person’s passion for change.
One was Emmanuel, whose bubbly spirit lifted even the longest days. When not rallying support outside the warehouse gates, family duties pulled his focus as a doting dad. Still, he made time on weekends to connect with workers on a personal level over meals together.
Leshaun stood out with a take-no-prisoners approach to negotiations. His bluntness ruffled feathers at times but cut through bureaucratic double talk with ease. As one of few women in leadership, she also faced entrenched biases that discouraged some from hearing her perspective.
Reginald lent the legal know-how from his paralegal training. Late nights were spent poring over labor statutes to build solid cases against every delay. Though burns showed on sleepless nights, his brisk walk and quick wit kept energy levels high throughout the ups and downs.
Each showed in their own humane way how organizing enmeshed with private lives; for many, the union became an extended support system. Their diverse voices also hinted at tensions, as not all agreed on the proper path forward against a monolith like Amazon. Ultimately, their united front achieved the unthinkable through solidarity.
Ups and Downs of Organizing
The ALU campaign had its fair share of peaks and valleys. Early successes came through creative grassroots efforts, like intercepting employees outside the gates with signature sheets and flyers. But Amazon responded with swift countermeasures, from preemptive firings to allegations of improper conduct.
Moments that lifted spirits included surpassing the 30% legal threshold. Small crowds gathered in the parking lot erupted into jubilant cheers and horns. Still, exhaustion crept in over late nights spent rallying additional names against the clock.
Amazon lawyers stalled the certification process, challenging the validity of dozens of signatories. Bureaucracy proved every bit as draining an opponent as the billion-dollar corporation itself. Just when momentum seemed lost, a last-minute legal victory cleared their petition at the eleventh hour.
Campaign tensions also flared on occasion. Heated debates tested the group’s cohesion, such as how militant protests should become. Cooler heads usually prevailed, though disagreements left bruises that required time to heal.
Through it all, the organizers’ commitment refused to waver. Their resilience inspired yet more employees to sign up for the next chapter’s main event—the union election itself. All prior battles led to this make-or-break vote that could defy the odds or crush their movement overnight. As Union culminates, the results revealed how change can emerge from even the longest of shots.
Big Themes in Small Places
While focusing locally, Union shines a light on some universal struggles. Flaws in labor laws allow firms to strongarm staff from exercising basic rights. When profits trump people, conditions and pay invariably suffer.
The Davids of Staten Island took on an industrial oligarchy with unmatched scale. Outgunned financially and legally, grassroots efforts require sheer endurance. Cooperation amid diversity within movements also poses challenges, as fractures emerged over the proper path.
Such an imbalance of power stems from dwindling union strength for decades. Private oligarchs wield influence, matching nations as membership plummeted post-1980. Without collective agreements, wages stagnate while executives raise their own.
Yet for all obstacles, the ALU triumphed—proof even titans can be checked. Their story inspires by showing what solidarity and tenacity may achieve against the odds. Through it, Union spotlights problems so many now face and the solutions others attempt, from misclassification to lack of representation.
While its scope remained local, the film transcends place and time. Viewers witness how struggles old as capitalism itself play out with modern media spin. Their David delivered a blow for workers everywhere rethinking what’s possible through grassroots might.
From Staten Island to the World
In the end, Union captures a quintessential battle of giant versus small. Out of a few determined voices emerged a victory that rattled the highest offices of what’s celebrated as America’s largest company.
Story and Maing have documented a profound tale of grassroots mobilization against institutional power. Their fly-on-the wall filming brings audiences deep into the gritty realities of organizing from the ground up. We gain new respect for what it takes to rally communities around change.
This David’s slaying of the Goliath sends ripples far beyond one warehouse. It renews the possibility of worker empowerment in an era when many proclaimed such things dead. Some way ahead lay tougher duels organizing elsewhere in industries just as daunting.
For anyone intrigued by themes of social justice, democracy, or the perpetual human push for dignified livelihoods, Union presents an electrifying case study. Its subjects stir hope that solidarity can trump even the wealthiest defenders of an unjust status quo.
Inspiring as it is, this film ensures the stories keep spreading of communities transforming common interests into a common cause if only others lend their vision and efforts to the task. Their light shows the way forward; the rest remains unseen.
The Review
Union
In gripping yet grounded fashion, Union elucidates the profound challenges—and rewards—of collective action against formidable walls of opposition. Story and Maing have crafted a worthy documentary through gritty verite filmmaking that brings audiences inside the pulse of modern grassroots organizing. While its scope remains intimate, the themes resonate much farther in significance.
PROS
- Immersive fly-on-the-wall style brings viewers right to the frontlines of organizing
- Authentic, nuanced portraits of grassroots leaders working to improve conditions
- Spotlights modern issues like ineffective labor laws, union busting, and worker retaliation.
- Inspirational documentation of how committed grassroots groups can achieve progress
CONS
- Narrow scope focused only on ALU experience leaves some broader context lacking.
- Doesn't integrate perspectives from Amazon or non-organizing employees
- At times it feels disjointed jumping between storylines and characters.
