union
Up against one of the most powerful companies on the planet, a group of Amazon workers embark on an unprecedented campaign to unionize their warehouse in Staten Island, New York.
WINNER - CINEMA EYE HONORS, OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION
WINNER - SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL, SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
NOMINEE - GOTHAM AWARDS, BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
NOMINEE - CINEMA EYE HONORS, OUTSTANDING DIRECTION











“Astounding, rebellious… brilliant.”
SYNOPSIS
Through intimate cinema vérité, UNION chronicles the extraordinary efforts of an unlikely group of warehouse workers as they launch a grassroots union campaign at an Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island, New York. Led by the charismatic but underestimated Chris Smalls, the diverse band of workers start the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) and embark on a journey against one of the largest and most powerful companies in the world. The odds are stacked against them, as the group finds itself up against a tech industry giant with unlimited resources, without major support from national unions or politicians, and while navigating internal divisions within their own ranks. Filmmakers Brett Story and Stephen Maing document the struggle from day one, offering a gripping human drama about the fight for power and dignity in today's globalized economic landscape.
Creative Team
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Adam McKay
Todd Schulman
Press
Take Action
With 1.5 million employees globally, Amazon is setting the standard for a future of work defined by automation, surveillance, lack of safety, precarity, and social isolation. Worker organizing at Amazon is critical for defining our economic and political futures. This single company controls much of the internet’s infrastructure, dictates online retail globally, sells cloud services to militaries around the globe, has hollowed out the main streets of towns and cities across the United States, produces a massive carbon footprint, and undermines democracy to serve its own corporate interests.
Building a powerful labor movement to reign in the power of Amazon and other corporations is one of the key existential struggles of our time. Check out our “Take Action” page for resources to learn more and join the fight. If you’d like to partner with us on our impact and distribution campaign, email team@unionthefilm.com.